Just A Crush
by snappers
Summary: Rose Weasley, in a drunken stupor, confessed her love for Scorpius Malfoy... in front of the entire gryffindor!
1. Chapter 1

hi! this is my second fan fic. i haven't uploaded the first one yet. please review and let me know if i suck or what. thanks!

DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs only to JK Rowling

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Chapter 1

Rose

Great Hall

He is the most beautiful boy I have ever seen in my entire life. His eyes are the most beautiful shade of grey that pierces through your very soul and has the ability to make you forget your existence. His hair is the most beautiful of all the blondes in the world – so silky and so fine. His lips is the most beautiful there is.

I know I have been using the word beautiful non-stop but, really, there's just no better word to describe him. Everything about him is just so beautiful. Especially those lips! Oh, those lips! I want to –

"Rosie! Hey, Rosie!"

I want to rip my beloved cousin into pieces for disturbing my Scorpius-Malfoy-Staring ritual that I do religiously every morning.

"What?" I snap, forcing my gaze to tear away from the beautiful image of The Scorpius Malfoy from the Slytherin table eating breakfast. It's pathetic and creepy but… it's kinda hard to kick the habit.

"You're drooling," says my ever so observant cousin Al.

"I'm not drooling," I growl under my breath.

"You've been staring for fifteen minutes. Poor Malfoy's going to melt anytime soon," he mutters before taking a bite out of his toast.

He does have a point. The moment Scorpius Malfoy entered the Great Hall; all girls literally stopped what they were doing just to watch him walk. And what a walk! No, it's more of a glide. He is so graceful. He carries himself with such elegance. Or arrogance, as Al said a thousand times before.

"You're ogling him again," says Al impatiently.

"It's not ogling!"

"Look, why don't you just go there and tell him you've been stalking him since first year?"

"Shut up, okay?" I hiss at him as James sinks into the seat beside me.

"Morning," he greets cheerfully.

"You're in a good mood," I say, looking suspiciously around me.

"Relax," he says, "I don't have Dungbombs anymore."

"Why the good mood then?" I ask, still not letting my guard down.

He looks at me as though I'm missing the obvious.

"Quidditch," he and Al answer at the same time.

"Oh,"

Like I even care about Quidditch. I don't even watch any matches, not even Gryffindor's. Well, except if it's Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Or any Slytherin match, actually. My reason? I turn my eyes back to the beautiful Scorpius Malfoy. He plays seeker for their house and just like everything about him, he's the best.

Taking a last sip from his pumpkin juice, he stands up to leave. He's done eating already? It didn't feel that long a time. My face falls as he disappears from my sight. I wonder where he's going. With a sigh of disappointment, I go back to eating my untouched breakfast.

"You coming, Rosie?" Al asks as he stands up from the table after James who's done eating. That was fast.

"No," I mumble quietly. "I'll be in library. Good luck."

"Okay, see you later."

I grunt in response. Ugh! Do girls even grunt? No wonder Scorpius don't even know I exist.

I was nibbling sadly on my piece of toast when my cousin Lily arrives, taking Al's place.

"Hey," she exclaims, always the bundle of sunshine.

"Yeah," I say moodily.

"Where are my brothers?" she asks, looking around.

"Quidditch,"

"That's great!"

"Well, go cheer for them in the stands," I snap grumpily, "I'm not going. I have loads to do."

"I'm here to talk to you," she whispers to me, "but promise not to say a word to Al."

"Whatever," I shrug uninterestedly.

Lily scoots closer to me and whispers in my ear.

"Scorpius Malfoy asked me out!"

WHAT?! Wait, rewind! What? What?

"W-what?" I stutter.

"Scorpius Malfoy asked me out," Lily repeats the horrible words.

NO!!! NO WAY!!! IT CAN'T BE!!! Not Lily! Not my own cousin! I feel moisture gathering in my eyes. I'm not going to cry. Please don't cry.

"Rosie, are you okay?"

I glare at the table. "You know what I feel about him."

"Yes," she mutters quietly, "but he asked me and I… he's very cute."

HE'S BEAUTIFUL!!! And gorgeous, an arrogant prat, handsome, a playboy, attractive, HOT, good-looking, intelligent, sarcastic, rude, and sexy as hell and you stole him from me. I blink my eyes furiously, trying to keep the tears at bay. My heart feels like breaking. I can't breathe properly because of the lump in my throat.

"I know you have a crush on him and I'm really sorry, Rose. That's why I told him that I'll think about it. I'll give him my answer today."

The world stops spinning.

"What do you mean?" I ask Lily, not looking at her.

"I'd like to get your permission first," she answers softly.

Ouch. How many more times does she have to stab my already wounded and bleeding heart? Gathering strength that I still possess I look her straight in the eyes.

"Do whatever you want," I say impassively, "You know I have no claims over him. It's just a crush anyway."

I start to stand up and escape before I break down. For the first time, I'm thankful there's Quidditch. I can cry my heart out in peace.


	2. Chapter 2

thanks for the reviews. i really appreciate it. this story is a little vague for me at the moment because i just thought/wrote about this the night before i uploaded it. i'll see if i can upload chapter 3 after this (i just finished writing it so it's a little lame, i guess)... please review!!!

DISCLAIMER: i'm not as creative as JK Rowling so HARRY POTTER IS NOT MINE

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Chapter 2

Al

Library

I know that the library is the only place that Rose really likes. She treats this place as her sanctuary. I don't particularly know why. Maybe it's because of the millions of books that surrounds her or that she's just weird that way. So, I dragged her here today in the hopes for her to be a bit more cheerful. To say that she's been down lately would be an understatement. Heck, she's basically so miserable now that I'm starting to feel really worried for her. I'm only seconds away to actually sending her parents an owl to tell them Rose's 'condition'.

Like right now. Here we are, in our usual table in the library. We're doing our homework for Potions. Or, I might say, I am doing our homework. Rose is slumped over the table, resembling an invalid. She's practically oozing with despair. I so want to strangle her at this very moment if that's what it takes to snap her out of whatever it is that's bothering her. And that's just so freaking frustrating because she absolutely refuses to tell me why.

I glare at her again. Man, she's really hopeless.

"Uh… Rose?" I say, hesitantly. This is not the first time I talked to her but this will be the first time I'll address her directly so I'm quite unsure what she'll do. "How exactly do we get the 'smooth, black currant-colored liquid' when concocting the Draught of Living Death?"

She raises her head slightly and looks fiercely at me.

"Why don't you find out for yourself, you fuckwit?"

I raise my eyebrows. Okay… my jaw didn't drop like it did the first time I heard her say that. Rose is a good girl. She doesn't swear. Never. I guess that means whatever her problem is, it's pretty bad.

"There's no need to be so bitchy," I retort quietly.

"I have the right to be bitchy!" she growls loudly, "You know why?"

"I do wish you'd tell me. I haven't got the Gift of Sight, you know."

It was a joke, meant to make someone laugh. Just a smile would be fine for me because I'm not really good with jokes. Normally people would laugh or even smile. But, to my horror, Rose's eyes swim with moisture. It's like she's going to cry, not because she finds my joke funny but I have a feeling she's about to burst now. She's not good at repressing any emotions and I have been waiting this past week for her to finally tell me what the bloody hell is her problem. Here we go.

"My heart is broken!" she wails, keeping her voice down though, "It's broken!"

Say what? Her heart is broken?

"What?" I ask, "Why?"

"Scorpius Malfoy is dating someone," sobs Rose.

To say that I'm dismayed doesn't even scratch the surface. That's what all the moodiness, a week of wallowing in self-misery and depression is all about?! Malfoy dating a girl? I roll my eyes. What the bloody hell.

"Rosie," I say softly, "he's been dating girls since third year."

"It's not just any girl, Al," she snarls, "It's someone!"

"Who?"

"I can't tell you!" she sobs even harder.

Isn't that great? How am I supposed to help this lovely, idiotic cousin of mine?

"What, the girl didn't really ask you not to tell anyone, right?"

She nods miserably.

Whoa! Hold up, there. If the girl Malfoy is dating confided to Rose then that means… Holy shit.

"You know this girl," I state.

She looks at me with those wide, tearful eyes and nods. And carries on crying.

"What the hell, Rose."

I run a hand through my hair. I feel awfully sorry for her now. Before, it was fine with her to watch Malfoy parade around the school with a different girl in his arms every week but to actually see him with a girl that she's friends with? That really sucks big time.

Rose is sobbing quietly, poor girl. I go over her and pat her awkwardly in the back. I'm not good with this kind of stuff but I have to do it for her.

"Come on," I say soothingly, "it can't be that bad. You know how Malfoy is. He's just playing around."

She sobs some more again. I really should just keep my mouth shut. I take her in my arms to let her cry in my shoulders instead. I never did this with anyone. I'm mortified but this is all I can do for her.

"She's crying," someone says.

I look up. It's Louis. He sits opposite us and looks pitifully at Rose. He didn't ask if she's crying, he stated it.

"You heard?" I ask. He nods. "You know who it is?"

He turns to look at me strangely, "I just saw them."

"Well?" I demand impatiently, "Who is the backstabbing bitch?"

"I can't tell you, Al."

Then I lose it. "What the hell, Louis? Rose is crying here!"

"I know!" he snaps back, "but it's not my business to tell you!"

"That's bullshit!"

"Stop it," sniffs Rose, moving away from me. Louis hands her his handkerchief. We watch her as she wipes her face and blows her nose.

"Feeling better now?" I ask.

"No," she replies dejectedly.

"I know a way to make you feel better," Louis suggests, grinning like a madman.

I groan. Anything Louis suggests is bound to have some drastic result. I was about to say no thanks when Rose sits up straight, looking curious.

"What is it?" she asks.

"Saturday," Louis whispers, a mischievous glint in his eyes. When he looks like this, I know we're about to do something stupid. "Common Room. Let's party. And get wasted!"

"You mean like get drunk?" inquires Rose as though she's not sure she ever got the connotation of 'get wasted' right.

Louis and I roll our eyes at her naivety. Well, like I said, Rose is a good girl.

"Yeah," Louis nods vigorously, "let's get drunk,"

"Sure," nods Rose in agreement.

"Rosie," I say carefully and sensibly, "don't be stupid. You never tried drinking. It's just the broken heart talking."

She whips her head toward me so fast I'm surprised it didn't fall off.

"Where have you been, Albus Severus Potter? That's exactly why I'm going to get wasted on Saturday!"

Have you ever seen those Muggle movies about people who get possessed by evil demons? I have, when we stayed over at Rosie's grandparents. The movie was entitled The Exorcist. Remember that girl who was possessed? Well, Rose sounds (and looks) exactly like that girl at this exact moment.

And this time I really keep my mouth shut and nods in resignation.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rose

Potions Class

I wanted to skive off my classes. Especially this particular class. But I can't. I don't have the guts. So much for being a Gryffindor. It's times like these when it's evident that I'm more of my mother than my father. I bet my mum never missed any of her classes. Before the war, that is.

Oh, well… it's too late to regret that now. I'm already here in this forsaken and poor excuse for a classroom. Oddly enough, I feel like I finally belong in this dungeon. It suits my mood perfectly, so bleak and dreary.

We are currently concocting Merlin-knows-what potion now. I don't really know and don't really care. I just want to curl up in bed. My head automatically turns toward the far side of the room. I grip the table hard. No! Don't you dare look, Rose Weasley.

"Rosie," mutters Al in consternation, "it says 'slice into small pieces' not pulverize it into dust."

"Sorry," I mumble, a sob escapes from my mouth.

Al groans.

"You're not crying again, Rosie," he orders. "You can cry all you want after Potions, okay? Just control yourself for now."

"Sorry," I mumble again. "What are we doing, anyway?"

Al narrows his eyes at me. He's getting annoyed, I can tell.

"The Draught of Living Death," he says in a really low, sinister voice.

I remain quiet after that. We work really well, Al and I. We're not that good at Potions but we become the best whenever we team-up. Second-best, actually. This is the only class where I can't beat –

"We have it in the bag, man!" he exclaims, laughing in a way that makes us (rest of the class) question the reason why we're taking up NEWT level Potions.

Yes, that guy. I can never beat him in Potions. I hear him talk to someone again. I close my eyes briefly. Why is it that even his voice is so beautiful?

I open my eyes and look at Al miserably.

"His voice is so beautiful," I sigh softly.

Al stops what he's doing and stares at me as though I've lost my mind. Maybe I am losing my mind. Al continues working after a deep breath.

His laughter drifts over to our side of the room again. I scowl.

"This is so fucking unfair."

"What is?" asks Al, cocking an eyebrow.

"Him," I nod in his direction, "being so bright and sunny while I'm all dark and gloomy."

"I can fix that," offers Al, flexing his knuckles threateningly.

"He's taller,"

"So?" says Al unconcernedly, "I have James, Fred, Louis, and Hugo with me."

"By now," calls Professor Schiffer suddenly. Oh, forgot you're actually here, sir. Thank you for reminding us, "your potions should be in the light shade of lilac."

Al and I turn to our cauldron. It's deep purple.

"What should we do?" asks Al in panic. I skim through the directions on the textbook.

"Maybe we should add more juices," I say for the sake of saying something. I have no idea if it's going to work.

"Let's try that," agrees Al immediately, much to my dismay. I cross my fingers as he adds more juice.

It works. Wow. Sometimes being impulsive pays off, huh?

We continue working. Or Al continues working. I spend valuable time staring unseeingly at the cauldron.

"Al?"

"Huh?" his tone irritated.

"I have a request I wish to ask you," I whisper softly, "No, actually, it's more like a favour."

"What?"

"When we're done with the Draught of Living Death, give it to me."

He looks incredulously at me.

"And you're planning to?" he queries.

"Drink it, of course."

"You're being stupid," he sighs.

"No," I correct him, "I'm desperate."

"You're not desperate," he shakes his head, "You're suicidal."

"Well?" I ask, feeling treacherous tears looming ahead, "What am I supposed to do?"

"You're supposed to move on," he whispers furiously, "and forget about it! You're going mental, Rosie. And, you are driving me crazy!"

He glares at me. I sense my heart; held together by flimsy Spellotapes, break into pieces once more. I feel dreadful. I have been so insensitive to Al lately that I took for granted his support and love for me.

"I'll go out for a while" Professor Schiffer says, "I'll be back soon."

And then he's gone and chatters erupt immediately.

"Prepare your self, Rosie," warns Al coldly, refusing to spare me a glance. "I'm calling help."

My eyes widen. During really tough and desperate times Al calls out for help. I slump over the desk and hide my face.

"Malfoy!" Al yells out, "A little help?"

My heart starts beating a million kilometres a minute when I hear him approach.

"What's this?" Malfoy remarks snidely, "Albus Potter, son of the hero Harry Potter, asking me, son of a Death Eater, for help?"

"That's right, Your Greatness," Al says, just as snidely. "I'm on my knees, begging for your mercy."

I hear Scorpius Malfoy snort in response.

"Just add a clockwise stir," Malfoy mutters quietly.

I hear movements as Al does what he's told.

"What's up with her?" he asks Al.

Is he talking about me? My face starts heating up. I'm trying to breathe evenly but fail. I'm seriously going to have a heart attack now. I am doing my best to ignore the fact that he noticed me as I slump over the desk pathetically. Why, oh why, is it that he only notices me when I'm not in my best? Fuck.

"Oh… well, you know, _'girl' _stuff," Al replies, stressing out the word girl exaggeratedly. "I mean she just realized she's a _'girl'_ recently."

"Really?" says Malfoy in disbelief.

"Yeah," pipes Al, "Before she doesn't really care much about her appearance but now that she's realized she's actually a _'girl', _she decided to let her hair down today because she's a _'girl'_."

Al is being so painfully embarrassing. I wish the desk swallow me up. Or better yet, the ceiling to fall down on me.

"And what a pretty hair she's got, eh?" the dimwit continues, "All that curls she keeps on trying to prevent from cascading down her back in all its gloriousness is now free from its severe confinement. You see the color? It's fiery red, which reflects her outstanding qualities and I'm quite sure that _'girls'_ like her is very hard to find these days."

I have a suspicion that Al is having fun in my expense. He's getting back at me for having him to put up with me these past days.

"Potter," Malfoy interjects Al the Idiot in his monologue, "I have not a clue what you're blabbering about. And… I know exactly how a redhead behaves."

My heart constricts devastatingly. Of course. He's referring to the lovely redhead Lily Potter. Ouch. I've never been punched in the stomach but it feels awfully like it. Crap, I'm crying again.

A door bangs open.

"Time's up," calls Professor Schiffer, "Stop stirring,"

"Got to go," Malfoy says.

"Thanks," Al mutters quietly.

I sit up properly but keep my head down for the tears refuse to ebb. The room bustles with activity as students pour their potions into vials. Scorpius Malfoy unsurprisingly gets full marks for his.

"See you next time," says Professor Schiffer dully, "Now get lost."

I run for the door hurriedly without waiting for Al.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Rose

Girl's Bathroom, Second Floor

I'm… hopeless. Here I am, sitting curled up on the floor of the most depressing bathroom in the world, having a double crying performance with the famous Moaning Myrtle.

Damn Malfoy for making me suffer like this. And damn me for letting myself endure this. Al is right. I should move on and forget about Malfoy. I give a small sob. Moaning Myrtle hears.

"What's wrong?" she asks, floating in front of me. She's not really concerned. She just wants something to gossip about.

I glare at her.

"It's a boy, isn't it?" she taunts. I shrug. She sighs dreamily. "I know the feeling. You know, years and years ago, there was this boy who always visits me. We have lots in common. He's sensitive, people bully him as well, he's very lonely and he's got no one to talk to. And, you know, he's not afraid of showing his emotions. He would cry in my arms."

I raise my eyebrows. I stop crying as I listen to Myrtle's love story. It's quite interesting.

"Then," her voice lowering in suspense, "one day, when Harry Potter found out that I have been meeting secretly with this boy, he goes berserk! Harry Potter is such a jealous bloke."

My jaw drops. Myrtle is giggling like mad. I don't know if I should believe her.

"Who was the boy Harry Potter got jealous of?" I snort. Don't tell me it's my dad.

"Malfoy," she says the name with awe. I freeze. "Draco Malfoy."

Oh, his father.

I wonder if ghosts have a tendency to be delusional. I don't know much about Draco Malfoy but based on my parents' stories and common public knowledge about him, he is anything but sensitive. No one in their right mind would bully him, except probably Voldemort. Maybe he did get lonely years ago but I doubt he was that lonely to settle for a ghost as a confidant. The thought of Draco Malfoy crying is beyond preposterous. And, there's no way Uncle Harry would be jealous of him.

Someone knocks on the door. It opens and Al pokes his head in. My expression sours at the sight of him.

"What do you want, Potter?" I snap cuttingly. Moaning Myrtle stares at Al.

"I'm looking for my cousin," he drawls casually, ignoring Myrtle, "Her name's Rose Weasley. Did you happen to see her, by any chance?"

"Go away," I mutter miserably, "I'm having a moment here."

"With this ghost?" he points at Myrtle.

Myrtle seems offended by that.

"You are not Harry Potter," she cries out in indignation.

"I never said I was," he retaliates, "Now go away, four eyes."

Myrtle, forgetting that Al's also wearing glasses, gets upset and dives headfirst into the toilet.

"Way to go for scaring a ghost, Al," I say admiringly.

An awkward silence follows as Al and I glance shyly at each other.

"Sorry," we apologize at the same time.

We smile.

"Okay,"

And just like that, we're friends again.

He sits beside me on the floor.

"You do know," he remarks in disgust, "that this floor is filthy?"

I chuckle.

We remain quiet for a while as we sit on the filthy floor of a girl's bathroom. It's nice. This silence, I mean. It's so peaceful. I wish I can stay here forever. Not here in the bathroom per se but this state of mind.

"I'm being stupid right?" I ask Al softly.

Al pauses for a few seconds. He's probably debating whether to be honest or to spare me his own opinion.

"Yes, you are," he replies truthfully. I give a quiet sigh.

Another silence ensues. Al clears his throat.

"Lily told me," he reveals slowly, "about her and Malfoy just now. Apparently, she already told James a few days ago and seeing as Malfoy's still alive, I guess James is okay with it."

I didn't say anything. I don't want to know if he's okay with it, too.

"Can I be viciously honest with you, Rosie?" asks Al cautiously.

"How much worse can it get?" I murmur gently.

"Lily and Malfoy suit each other. I love you but I just don't think you and he are for… well, compatible, you know? I'm not saying that because he's a Malfoy and you're a Weasley. What I mean is, you're a good girl and he's an ass. There's just no way you two will work out. No one can tame the scorpion."

He laughs at his own joke. I remain unmoving, trying my hardest to ignore the words 'Lily and Malfoy". Why does it hurt so badly?

"Now," Al picks up again, "I'm not implying my sister's an ass, too, but she can handle Malfoy much better. And she's tough. She won't get hurt easily. While you… just look at how miserable you are. And you're not even dating the guy. You are too good for him and he is bad for you."

"It hurts," was all I can utter.

"For now. It'll go away, don't worry."

"I wish I can tell him how much he's hurting me, though. Let him know that he broke my heart and he's been walking all over it time and time again."

"You mean like a love confession?" Al smirks. He knows I can't even mutter a simple hello to Malfoy without passing out, much less a love confession. The horror of that!

"No," I grumble, "it's like I want to rage at him, accuse him of being an insensitive piece of dirt for ignoring me for the past five/six years. You know when the first and last time he talked to me?"

Al shakes his head.

"First year!" I yell, "In Potions! Remember that, Al?"

"Yeah," he chuckles at the memory, "I remember. He asked you for a parchment but you blushed then hid behind me. You were so funny."

I glare at him. "Thank you for appreciating my comedic feat. I'm so glad it's going down in history as Rose Weasley's finest moment."

Al wisely shuts his mouth.

"I can't wait for Saturday to come. I need to get wasted and just vent, you know?"

"You want to vent?"

"Yeah,"

Without another word, Al gets on his feet and helps me up.

"Come on," he grins excitedly, dragging me out of the bathroom.

"Where are we going?"

But Al ignores my question and merely smiles his famous sheepish smile.


	5. Chapter 5

thank you so much for the reviews!!! i really, really appreciate it! i actually have two or three chapters ready but i'm stalling. i feel like i want to add things up or something. this chapter's kinda short. anyway, enjoy reading! please review! thanks!

DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs to Ginny Weasley... er, i mean JK Rowling

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Chapter 5

Al

Former Astronomy Tower

This… this is my favourite place in Hogwarts, my sanctuary. It's quite ironic, though, that my namesake died here in this very tower over two decades ago. After that, this tower has been abandoned and students were forbidden to come here. That is, until I came.

I was in first year when I stumbled upon this place. I was mad at James at that time and was wandering around the castle, not caring where my feet would take me. I saw a spiral staircase with a sign that says "KEEP OFF'. Naturally, it piqued my curiosity. There was no magical barrier whatsoever therefore, I climbed up and it led me to this tower. It has the most amazing view of Hogwarts, its grounds, the lake, the mountains and the forest.

Since then, this is the only place for me to hide. My perfect sanctuary. But now it's not mine anymore. I glance over Rose, she's marvelling at the beauty of her surroundings.

"Wow, Al," she says in admiration, "this place is amazing!"

"I know, right?" I respond, leaning against the ramparts, "I go here whenever I have problems."

She nods. "The sceneries can be therapeutic. It lightens the mood somehow."

"I'm not indicating the sceneries,' I chuckle.

Rose tilts her head to the side and frowns questioningly at me.

"What do you mean?"

"This is where I vent my feelings." I reveal.

"How?"

"Like this," I take a deep breath, then, "HEY ROSIE!!! HOW CAN YOU BE SO STUPID? FANCYING A MALFOY THEN FALLING FOR HIM? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BLOODY MIND? THEN WHEN MALFOY STARTS DATING MY SISTER YOU'RE ALL EMO. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? IT'S YOUR BLOODY FAULT! YOU NEVER DID ANYTHING TO MAKE HIM NOTICE YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!"

I stop to see Rose's reaction. I take a hasty step backwards. Uh-oh. It seems I said (yelled) too much.

"Uh… like that," I mutter lamely.

She still glares murderously at me. If I'm to die right now, I can finally say I've lived up to my namesake by dying here as well.

I let out a sigh of relief when she turns her eyes on the horizon.

"You're right," she mumbles quietly, "You're always right. It really is my fault. Are you sure no one can hear us?"

"Sure," I affirm.

"That's brilliant," she nods as she inhales a lungful of air, "SCORPIUS MALFOY!!! YOU ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CREATURE ON EARTH!"

She claps a hand in her mouth. I roll my eyes. This girl is losing it.

"Sorry," she says, "I'll try again. SCORPIUS MALFOY!!! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MANY TIMES YOU BROKE MY HEART FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS! YOU WERE ALWAYS WITH A DIFFERENT BITCH EVERY FREAKING WEEK! DO THEY LOVE YOU? NO, THEY DON'T! ALL THEY WANT FROM YOU IS YOUR GLORIOUS BODY!"

Yeah, right. Like you don't fantasize about Malfoy's body, too, cousin dear. I shudder at the thought.

"GUESS WHAT? I, ROSE WEASLEY, AM THE ONLY GIRL IN THIS SCHOOL WHO TRULY, IRREVOCABLY, AND UNCONDITIONALLY LOVED YOU! THAT'S RIGHT! LOVED! AS IN, PAST TENSE! BECAUSE FROM NOW ON, I WILL FORGET ABOUT YOU!"

I applaud earnestly as she finished her venting.

"That," she grins, looking pleased with her self, "felt good."


	6. Chapter 6

yeah, i decided to upload chapter 6 tonight after all. it's a little sloppy, though. but i hope y'all like it. i still have to edit chapter 7. i don't know when i'll be able to upload next time. too many distractions, ugh... thanks for the reviews again! enjoy reading!

DISCLAIMER: i'm a Filipino. so harry potter's not mine coz he's British...

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Chapter 6

Rose

Gryffindor Common Room

For the first time in sixteen years I'm drunk. I've been drinking for… oh, I've lost track of how long I have been drinking. I giggle moronically.

"Let's see," I mutter to myself, "I've been sitting on this couch since the party kicked off… hmm… how long ago was that? Al?"

I turn on my left. A couple was snogging. I turn on my right. Another couple is snogging. What the hell? Don't these people understand? I'm drinking because of my broken heart but I'm surrounded by lovesick fools.

I get on my feet. I wobble slightly. Whoa. Is there an earthquake? The whole place is shaking. I look around for Al.

The common room is packed with people. The wireless is blaring somewhere. Some people are dancing in the center of the room. The others are busy snogging, chatting, drinking, or whatever else people do in parties.

"Al," I call out, still giggling, "There's an earthquake. Where are you?"

I see a familiar untidy black hair a few feet away, talking to some blonde bimbo. I walk shakily toward him. When I was close enough, I notice that it's James. He and Fred are flirting with three bimbos.

My favourite troublemaker cousins! I beam at them.

"Jamie! Freddie!" I shout gleefully, throwing my arms around them.

"Rosie!" James exclaims.

"Rosie! Enjoying the party, huh?" Fred grins.

Both of them are drunk, too, but not as drunk as me.

"Yep! I'm drunk!" I announce proudly.

They laugh. I beam at them some more.

"I love you, you guys!" I suddenly blurt out.

They laugh even harder.

"You really are drunk!"

"You will never say that once you're sober," sniggers Fred.

"I never say that when I'm sober?" I frown, "That's not right! When you love someone, you should tell them you love them all the time!"

"Nah!" opposes Fred, "That's not true!"

"Who cares about love?" snorts James.

I glare drunkenly at them. "I do!"

"Yeah, yeah!" says James dismissively, "Whatever."

"I believe in love!" I shout indignantly.

Nobody seems to be listening to me. Fred and James go back to flirting with the three snickering bimbos and all the people in the room are not paying me any attention even though I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I remember the amazing feeling I had in the tower when I screamed out my emotions. I grin slowly as I thought of something.

I move to stand in the middle of the room, amidst the dancing couples and still clutching a bottle of firewhiskey. I rummage in my pocket for my wand.

"Aha!" I exclaim triumphantly, directs my wand at my throat, "_Sonorus_!"

I giggle. Everyone in the common room stops what they are doing to see who they hear giggle. Awesome. My giggle echoes over them.

"Ehem, ehem," I clear my throat.

"Who's that?" someone asks in irritation.

"Cut it off!"

"Longbottom will hear us!"

"It's Weasley! Over there!" someone shouts.

"_Muffliato_!" a familiar voice casts the spell. It sounds like Hugo, "There, we can't be heard outside."

"Let's hear what Rosie has to say!" an amused, another familiar voice says. It sounds like Fred's.

"WHO'S THAT?" I yell out, even though my voice can be heard perfectly well even if I whisper.

"Hugo!" he was the one who cast the spell. He waves his arms so that I can spot where he is. I beam at his direction.

"My little brother!" I say emotionally.

"Just say what you want to say, Weasley," a dismayed girl complains, "before we suffer permanent ear damage."

I have no idea who said that but that annoying voice sounds like Simone Davies, a seventh year Ravenclaw. She's a slut.

"Shut up, you slut," I retort.

I hear gasps and snickers around.

"You're right, though. I do have a lot to say," I say, pausing for a second to take a long swig from the bottle of firewhiskey, "First off, I'd like to say thank you to my most gorgeous cousin –"

"You're welcome, Rosie!" James yells.

"Not you!" I snap, "Louis Weasley! Where are you, Louis?"

"Here!"

I see a hand waving from the far side of the room.

"There you are! Thank you for this party! I love you! Albus! Where's Albus?"

"Over here," Al cries out from the stairs.

"ALBUS!!!" I yell so loud that everyone covers their ears from the noise, "YOU ARE THE BEST COUSIN EVER! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!"

"Someone make her stop!"

"Please, stop her!"

"Shut your traps! Let Rosie have her fun! It's her party!"

"Hear, hear!"

"THANK YOU, MY COUSINS! I LOVE ALL THE WEASLEYS!"

A round of applause and cheers go off.

"AND, OF COURSE, I LOVE THE POTTERS! YES, INCLUDING YOU LILY, YOU BACKSTABBING BITCH!"

I hear few people gasp and James is laughing so hard he's clutching his stomach. He probably thinks I'm joking.

"Are you done yet?" nags Simone Davies.

"No, not quite," I mumble, swaying on the spot, "There's still one person who doesn't know I love him. And even if he's not here, I'll still say it anyway."

"Rose!" Al calls out suddenly, looking panicked, "Maybe you should stop now."

"No, Albus," I growl, "I'll say what I want to say. It's my party."

"Well, what is it?" Simone Davies says impatiently.

"I LOVE SCORPIUS MALFOY!"

Silence reigns over the common room as people look at me with their mouths hanging open. I giggle again. Boy, did I knock their socks off.

"You're joking," James says in disbelief.

"No, I'm absolutely not, Jamie. Ask Al. I've been in love with Scorpius Malfoy since first year."

And then, I burst into tears.

"AND HE NEVER NOTICED ME! YOU KNOW WHAT? THE FIRST AND LAST TIME HE TALKED TO ME WAS IN FIRST YEAR! HE ASKED ME WITH THAT BEAUTIFUL, CAPTIVATING VOICE OF HIS, 'HEY, WEASLEY, DO YOU HAVE SPARE PARCHMENT?' AND I SAID NOTHING AND HID BEHIND AL! SEVEN FREAKING WORDS! HE ONLY SAID SEVEN WORDS TO ME BUT I STILL LOVED HIM!"

I pause as sobs overcome me. Some people look sorry for me, some are horrified that perhaps I'm a nutter and some are waiting for more revelations.

"Well, duh! It's not love. It's just a crush."

"Yeah! You two never even shared a conversation."

"If it's just a crush," I murmur quietly, "why does it hurt so badly? THAT BEAUTIFUL CREATURE BROKE MY HEART! IT BLEEDS EVERYTIME I GLIMPSE THAT BEAUTIFUL FEATURES, THOSE MESMERIZING EYES, THOSE KISSABLE LIPS, THAT GORGEOUS PHYSIQUE…"

"I'd say you're obsessed, though, not in love."

"Yeah, maybe."

"It's not love, Weasley. Don't fool yourself."

"WELL," I exclaim in exasperation, "I DON'T REALLY CARE WHAT YOU THINK! I KNOW HIM SO MUCH BETTER THAN ANYONE BECAUSE I'VE BEEN STALKING HIM SINCE FIRST YEAR!"

Al groans as I repeat the words he said to me a couple of weeks ago. I ignore him.

"I KNOW THAT HE HATES COFFEE! I KNOW THAT HE DOESN'T TAKE NOTES IN OUR CLASSES BECAUSE HE MANAGES WITHOUT THEM! THAT'S HOW INTELLIGENT HE IS! I KNOW THAT HE'S NOT REALLY A BAD GUY! HE JUST PRETENDS TO BE A BAD GUY SO THAT PEOPLE WON'T THINK HE'S A WUSSY BECAUSE HE DOESN'T WANT PEOPLE TO BULLY HIM FOR BEING A MALFOY! AND I DON'T CARE IF YOU ALL THINK THAT HE'S BAD FOR ME! BAD BOYS ARE HOT!"

I finished with conviction. I hear girls cheering and agreeing with me while the boys are shaking their heads in incredulity.

I lifted the spell from my voice and take a long swig of firewhiskey. All that shouting made my throat sore. Why did I shout anyway? Oh, well…

I turn around.

And come face to face with Scorpius Malfoy.

The expression on his beautiful face resembles that of a person's face when they are under the Stunning Spell. How long he's been standing frozen there, I have no idea. We are looking at each other in mutual shock.

I close my eyes in mortification. It's either the whole entire population of Gryffindors don't know that he's actually here or that they know but just don't give a crap if he hears me declaring my undying devotion for him.

I open my eyes again. He's still there, staring at me. He's all I can see as the entire room fades into insignificance. I can't hear anyone or anything. My whole world starts closing down.

Scorpius Malfoy is the last person that occupied my vision before I pass out.


	7. Chapter 7

thanks for the reviews again! i really like this chapter and i hope you do, too. the next chapter might take long, though. it's not done yet. enjoy reading and don't forget to review!

DISCLAIMER: my name's snap, not jo

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Chapter 7

Scorpius

Slytherin Common Room

I don't know much about Rose Weasley.

I mean, yeah, we've been in the same classes since first year and I get along pretty well with the rest of the Potter/Weasley clan even though me and some (James, Albus, Fred, and Hugo) of her relatives show our dislikes with each other every opportunity we get. We're not friends but we hang out a lot. I know some things about her cousins and I've had really interesting conversations with them but nothing on Rose Weasley.

Rose is the only Weasley I haven't talked to. I don't know why but I thought that she either doesn't like me or repulsed by me. She would always, always run in the opposite direction whenever she saw me. And in Potions, each time Al asked for help, she would hide somewhere. At first I thought it was just a coincidence that she was cowering under the desk when I came over their table but when it happened so often, I thought that maybe she's scared of me or something.

I also noticed that she's not as popular as her other female cousins. She doesn't have a lot of friends. Actually, most of her friends are her cousins. She's with them all the time.

She doesn't date. I never saw her with another guy other than Al. I never heard her go out with anyone. Probably it's because of her overprotective family. And I can't really blame them. She's small and fragile-looking. She's too naïve and maybe a bit gullible sometimes despite the fact that she's very smart.

Rose is pretty, I guess. Her hair is the usual red, of course, but it's different from the rest of the Weasleys. Actually, her hair is one of a kind in Hogwarts. I only became aware of how unique her hair is a few days ago, when she started wearing it down. She never wore it down. She continuously has it on braids, buns, and plaits. I think she was trying everything to keep all that hair under control.

Her eyes are the usual Weasley blue eyes but nothing special. Her nose is okay. As well as her mouth. She's got the usual Weasley freckles, too, no surprises there.

"Thinking about Rose Weasley?" a drawling voice remarks.

I turn my head to see Boris Zabini sitting on the opposite armchair. When did he get here? Am I that preoccupied I didn't notice him? I glare my annoyance.

"Looks like you owe Lily four hundred galleons."

I say nothing. I don't care about the money when I made the bet against Lily. I just wanted to know the truth, no matter how far-fetched it was.

It happened a month ago. I joined Boris and Lily outside by the lake one afternoon. I was a little exasperated at that time because I ran into Rose Weasley. She almost flattened herself against the wall when I pass by, it was ridiculous. I glared at her but she wasn't looking at me. She was staring intently at the floor with her head bowed but I saw how red her face was.

I complained to Lily about this.

"You have," I grumbled, "the weirdest cousin I have ever had the misfortune to encounter."

"Good afternoon to you, too," she said with raised eyebrows, "But, out of curiosity, who did you mean by that?"

"Rose Weasley."

"She's not weird," she said in defence, "Why? What happened?"

I told her. Then she laughed.

"What's so funny?" I asked coldly, "She treated – treats me like I have spattergoits or something."

"No!" she denied, "She's like that because she has a crush on you. And I definitely think she's fallen in-love with you."

"You're joking," I smirked and looked at Boris. He had a thoughtful look on his face. "You don't really think she's serious."

"I think she is telling the truth," he said. Lily beamed at him as I rolled my eyes.

"There's no way that's true," I scoffed.

"Want to bet on it?"

I contemplated on that for a while before giving my answer. Rose Weasley's odd behaviour towards me was starting to get on my nerves so I said yes. It was a nonsensical bet and I asked Lily how she planned on finding out if her 'theory' is correct.

She came up with a plan a couple of weeks ago. A plan that had a huge potential outcome of me possibly getting murdered by her brothers and, of course, Harry Potter himself. She assured me that her brothers won't lay a finger on me. I'm not scared of James and Al but if they were to beat me to death, it better be for a good reason other than me and Lily pretending to be a couple for the sake of a bet.

She won a few hours ago.

She invited me and Boris to the party Louis threw for Rose at the Gryffindor tower. She said this might be The Night.

I was truly having a good time. At first, Al was being a pest when he said I was not supposed to be there but Lily insisted and threatened him with some hex so he had no other choice but to concede defeat.

I've forgotten about the bet as the party progressed. I was having a catch-up with an old flame, Simone Davies, when Rose decided to spill the beans.

I was standing a few feet behind her. As I hear Rose Weasley's tirade, I was amused at first but when she shouted she loved me, I just stared at her in sheer disbelief. I remained unmoving there after she was done.

Then, she turned and saw me. I don't know who's more taken aback, me or Rose. Oh, and after that, she fainted. And because I was there I was immediately suspected as the reason, which was true but it didn't necessarily mean it was my fault the girl fainted. Her brother – who was a little tipsy, by the way – blamed me. Hugo threatened to crush my skull with his bare hands. I didn't take him seriously but I opted to leave, nonetheless, just in case he was being serious. I left without looking for Boris or Lily and went straight here in the Common Room.

No one ever told me they love me. Except my mother and grandmother, of course. Sure, girls throw themselves at my feet everyday but I am yet to hear those three words come from someone. And it turned out that that someone is the least I expect.

Rose was right. I never tried talking to her after that day in Potions in first year. Who can blame me? I was offended! That was definitely the first time a girl hid away from me as though I have a contagious disease. As for not noticing her, she's right. How can I notice her when she would blend with the wall, hide under the desk, run away from me, and everything else that she does for reasons unknown?

But now I know why. What do I feel about it? I honestly don't know. I've never been in-love. I doubt if the girls I dated loved me. They never said anything or showed any indications that they do. I never had a girlfriend – a proper girlfriend, the one who would hold your hands all the time. I wince. I don't like committing myself exclusively to one woman only. I love the freedom, thank you very much.

Rose Weasley said – no, yelled out in front of the entire Gryffindors it seemed, that she knows the real me. I would be lying if I say I'm not unsettled by that. I don't like the thought that she figured me out better than anyone. Who is she in the first place?

And now, what must I do about it? So she pretty much confessed her love for me, what happens next? Is she going to ask me out or am I going to ask her out? Okay, wait! Do I even want to ask her out? And what happens if I did? Does she expect us to act like a lovey-dovey couple? I wince again. No way. It would have been easier if she fancies me but love? Love is such a big word it frightens me.

"What are you going to do about it?" Boris asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Am I supposed to do something?" I ask uninterestedly. There you go, that answers my question! I don't have to do anything.

"She's quite pretty," he remarks quietly.

"I don't date good girls," I remind him.

Good girls are trouble. They get their hearts broken easily. And, apparently, I already broke Rose Weasley's heart without even dating her. I smile slightly as I remember her ranting.

"You're amused," Boris comments. I throw him a dark glare. "That's good. It's the first step to being interested and I think you and Weasley would look good together."

"When did you become a matchmaker?"

"Well," Boris says, as impassive as ever, "it seemed fitting. We're best mates. I'm going out with Lily. If you and Rose Weasley get together… we'd be like, cousins-in-law."

I just stare at him. Perhaps I drank too much because I'm quite positive that the person sitting in front of me is talking utter nonsense. I shake my head.

"Speaking of which," I say, changing the topic, "when are you and Lily going to come out?"

Boris squirms a little. Good.

"I'm not sure," he mutters quietly.

"What are you so frightened of?" I ask, smirking. I can't help it, "They're not that bad. Albus is as harmless as a pygmy puff. Plus, he's scared of Lily. And James can be a bit creative with the threats he comes up with although I think he's quite capable of carrying out those threats. But, no worries mate. I'll be here as support."

"Easy for you to say," he protests, "You get along with them."

"Not all the time," I correct him.

"And," he adds anxiously, "her father's Harry Potter!"

I understand his point. It's tricky to date the daughter of someone as influential and important as Harry Potter. Anyone would be intimidated.

"Tricky," I say.

I imagine dealing with Harry Potter won't be that hard. He's not that easy to unnerve.

I wonder how Rose Weasley's father would react if he hears me, Scorpius Malfoy, going out with his little girl.

Great.

I wonder where that came from.


	8. Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER: still not mine and will never be mine

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Chapter 8

Rose

Pain.

That's the first thing I become aware of the moment I drift back to consciousness.

My head! What the hell is wrong with my head? I open gingerly an eye. Even opening an eye requires such effort? The curtains around my bed are drawn.

I groan out loud as my stomach churn uncomfortably when I try to lift my head from the pillows. The pounding in my head increases. I grip my head as I writhe in agony.

"Hey Rosie!" someone calls, "Are you awake?"

"Roxanne?" I ask hoarsely. Is there something wrong with my voice, too? My mouth is so dry, like I haven't drunk a single drop of water in years.

"Yes!" she chirps.

"Lower your voice, please," I whimper; burying my head on the pillows, "I think I'm sick."

She sits on my bed.

"You're not sick. Fred said it's hangover."

Hangover? Oh, yeah. I remember the party. I drank a lot of firewhiskey.

"Was it last night?"

"You're still disoriented? Yeah, that was last night."

"What time is it?"

"Two in the afternoon," she replies in that happy tone again, "I've been checking here every fifteen minutes to see if you're awake."

"Thanks," I mumble, "My head is going to split apart! Maybe I should go to the Hospital Wing."

"No need, Rosie," she exclaims, "I have the potion here with me. Fred and James made it themselves."

"Fred and James?" I ask dubiously, squinting at Roxanne. She's holding a goblet of potion. It doesn't smell good, "Are you sure it's not poison?"

She rolls her eyes. "Rosie, they've been drinking since they were fourteen. I'm sure they're rather the experts when it comes to concocting the cure for hangovers."

Well, she does have a point. I heard that James somewhat excels in Potions.

I push myself to a sitting position to take the goblet from Roxanne's hands. I look doubtfully at it before drinking the entire content. It looks like puke, smells like puke and tastes like puke, ugh. I feel like throwing up but I force it down my throat. Roxanne takes it from me when I'm done.

"Thanks," I mutter again as I fall back on the bed. That was nasty. I'll never drink again.

"Don't mention it," she says, lying down beside me, "That was some party, eh?"

"Maybe," I chuckle, "All I did was drink on the couch."

"And after that," Roxanne enthuses, "you were absolutely brilliant!"

I stare blankly at her. "What do you mean?"

"You don't remember?" she asks, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"What?" I frown.

What did I do last night? Merlin, don't tell me I did something embarrassing. My face heats up.

"I'd say, that was the best show!" she cries out, "It was definitely better than what my Dad showed last Christmas."

"Roxanne Weasley!" I yell in near hysteria, "Just spit it out! What did I do?"

She smirks at me. "That. You spit it all out last night."

"You mean like I threw up all over the place?"

"Worse," she grins that famous Uncle George grin. Uh-oh, that means trouble, "You proclaimed your love for Scorpius Malfoy."

I freeze up. I recall vaguely the things I did last night but I'm not sure if they really did happen, though. It's like a dream somehow. Please, tell me it's just a dream.

"And," I say slowly, "How did you know that? You're not supposed to be there. You're only thirteen."

"Duh!" she snorts, "You used _Sonorus_. The whole Gryffindor heard you. And if Hugo didn't use _Muffliato_, the whole castle would have heard you, as well."

I groan, this time because of humiliation.

"Honestly, Rosie. I never thought in a million years that you would do that. I suppose it was because you were so drunk but even so, that really was brilliant. So what are you going to do now? Are you going to ask him out? From what I saw of his face last night, he looked utterly flabbergasted…"

I stop listening to Roxanne's endless chatter. Another memory from last night surfaces. Scorpius Malfoy's face in front of me made it obvious that he heard everything.

"Oh, no," I choke out.

"Huh?" asks Roxanne concernedly, "Are you okay?"

"He's there? He was actually there?"

"Yeah," she nods, "It seems that Lily invited him along. She wants to talk to you, by the way, but James won't let her."

I wasn't paying any attention to what she was saying as Scorpius Malfoy's beautiful stunned face appeared to have etched itself in my mind.

"My life is over,"

"You're being over-dramatic," chides Roxanne.

Note to self, if ever I want someone's honest opinion – at least from a family member – just go to Roxanne.

"Of course it's not over!" she then delivers her boost talk, "So what if the whole Gryffindor heard you? It doesn't matter! So what if Scorpius Malfoy heard you? You should be relieved! You finally said it aloud!"

Yeah, I said it aloud, alright. Apparently I said it so loud a hundred people heard me.

"You've been crushing on Malfoy since first year and it's about time you finally made your move!"

Maybe Roxanne's forgotten that we're in the dormitory, not in the Quidditch pitch. She's shouting at the top of her lungs. Perhaps shouting is a family trait.

"And you said it yourself! You don't care what other people think! You're in love and it's your business not theirs!"

Most of the time, I find Roxanne to be as annoying as Fred. She's always straightforward and struts around with the in-your-face attitude. She's the female Fred but rarely gets into trouble since she inherited their father's sneakiness.

"Don't worry about it Rosie," she comforts, "Somehow, everything is gonna be all right. You'll see."

I gaze at her tearfully. She's so optimistic I want to cry. I give her a hug instead.

"Thank you so much," I say sincerely.

"Do you like it?" Roxanne asks enthusiastically, "I'm planning on adding the 'Do not give up!' but seeing as I still don't know what your plans are, I'll save it for later. Oh, by the way, I did that last part of my speech when we lost to Slytherin last year. It worked and we beat them for the Cup so there's no doubt that you'll do just fine."

I sigh. Even though it was an excerpt from her wonderful pep talk in Quidditch, I'm still grateful. I bet James loved that. Speaking of which…

"What were you saying about James and Lily earlier?"

"Huh? Oh! James won't let Lily go up here," informs Roxanne.

"Why?"

"It was Lily who invited Malfoy last night. Louis already told her specifically to not invite Malfoy but she still did."

"Well," I murmur, "they are together."

Roxanne looks at me furtively. I avoid her eyes and stare at the canopy.

Malfoy knows the truth now. I wonder what he thinks. Just thinking about our classes is making me nervous. I won't be able to avoid him then. It's not like I expect him to start talking to me. What will he say? _'So, Weasley, what in Merlin's name were you thinking when you fell in love with me?'_ Or maybe this one, _'I never expected that you feel like that, Weasley. Maybe we should talk about this. Let's go walk by the lake.'_ Better yet, _'I feel exactly the same way, Weasley. I was just too scared to admit my feelings for you.'_

"Are you daydreaming?"

I jump in surprise. Roxanne is hovering over me.

"I'm not," I snap. Okay, I am.

"Your face is all red," she remarks, "and you have that dazed look in your eyes."

We are interrupted when the door opens. Annemarie Burkhead, a fellow sixth-year Gryffindor, enters with a smile.

"Hi, Rose! How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you," I respond politely.

"That's great," she says, looking at me apprehensively. Did I make a total fool of myself last night? "Louis asked me to tell you that you're having a family meeting in Al's room right now."

I look at Roxanne curiously. Family meeting about what?

xXx

After a quick shower, Roxanne and I go to Al's dormitory for our family meeting. It might be about last night. To be honest I'm still not prepared to face anyone. Even though I can't remember the exact same words I shouted last night, just the thought that I did is mortifying enough.

Students loitering in the common room stare at me when we pass by. I avoid looking at any of them. I hear a few people snicker.

"Don't mind them, Rosie!" Roxanne exclaims cheerfully, "Hold your head up high! You did nothing wrong!"

"Just get a move on!" I whisper furiously, dragging her up the stairs.

We finally reach Al's door. I open it. And there they are… my family. They all look up when we enter the room. I stride over to where Hugo is sitting and joins him.

After a few seconds, they are being unnaturally quiet and they're avoiding my eyes. I catch Al's, though, and he tries to smile at me but ends up with a grimace. I notice that James and Fred's lips are twitching; Hugo's facing the wall with a look of extreme concentration, Louis is looking at me with anticipation (git), Roxanne is sprawled on Al's bed and looking at everyone, and Lily is staring at her shoes.

I sigh.

"You guys can laugh," I murmur aloud, shrugging.

Yeah, I embarrassed myself in front of everyone but these guys' been with me my whole life so I don't mind them laughing at me.

And they did. With gusto.

I watch Hugo roll around the floor laughing. Thanks for the sympathy, little brother. James and Fred are roaring with laughter. No surprises there. They always laugh at me. Al, my cousin slash best friend, is chuckling. Roxanne is laughing at James and Fred. It's good to know there's still someone normal in this room. Louis is smiling indulgently. I have a suspicion that he already laughed his heart out. Lily is still staring down at her shoes. What's wrong with her? Did James get really mad at her for what happened?

Hugo struggles to catch his breath on the floor. I narrow my eyes.

"Are you done yet?" I ask them coldly, "If this is what you call a family meeting, I'd rather go back to sleep."

They sober down at once. James, the self-appointed leader, clears his throat. The oldest is always the head – the one who looks after the young ones – and this year we have two seventh years in the family. Technically, Fred is older than James but Fred didn't want to so James took the reins from him.

"Right," he says pompously, "We are indeed here for a little family meeting to do some damage control from what happened the previous night."

"How are you feeling, Rosie?" Al interrupts.

"Fine. That potion helped me a lot. Thank you, James and Fred."

Fred winks at me. James is glaring at Al.

"I was talking, you idiot! Anyway, you're welcome, Rosie. As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, we are gathered here today for a family meeting."

He pauses for a while.

"First off, you know the drill. Not a word to our parents, no matter how much, er… amusing we find the situation," his lips twitch again, "especially that bit about Malfoy. I already talked to Frankie. He swore to keep it quiet. I already threatened everyone who heard to not say a word."

"It's already all over school," Louis puts in. I groan. That's just great.

"Damn," swears James, "But I didn't hear anything today."

"That's because they're too scared to say anything in front of you," replies Hugo.

"There's no helping it," adds Fred, "Other houses were there, too."

"What do we do now?" Hugo asks.

I suppose it's my turn to speak.

"Guys," I start. They turn to look at me, "you don't have to trouble yourselves over this matter. It's my fault that I blubbered about it."

"Typical Rosie," remarks Fred.

"Besides," I continue, "I'm already used to attention so I don't mind. Not to mention the fact that I embarrass my self all the time. This is no different from the other incidents. I can deal with this. It's no big deal."

"That's the spirit!" Roxanne cheers. Al nods his agreement.

"You sure?" James asks with genuine concern.

"Yes, I am."

"Well, if someone's being a git, you tell us immediately, okay? And they're going to deal with us."

"That's right!" agrees Hugo, Fred, Louis and Al. Roxanne rolls her eyes at this macho display.

I smile. They're always like this, the boys. They all have this notion that I have to be protected all the time. Sometimes their protectiveness is very suffocating and I get annoyed by that but I know that they're only being like that because they care for me. Oh, well. There's no helping it.

"Anyway," says James, glancing inquisitively at me, "you're really in love with Malfoy?"

I blush. I don't want to talk about it so I remain quiet.

"I mean, I never thought you're actually interested in boys. You always turn them down when they ask you out. Gee, Rosie! You managed to keep that from us, eh?"

"We're not as thick as you are, mate," sniggers Fred, "I figured it out years ago."

"No kidding?" exclaims James. "Am I the only one left in the dark?"

"I had no idea, either," Hugo bursts out, "But no worries, sis. I understand."

"I guess you're as thick as me, then," mutters James.

We all laugh. It feels great to be like this. It's like we're at home.

"Is the meeting over?" asks Louis, getting on his feet, "I have some… things to do."

I frown at him. I know that look.

"Yeah," James acts pompously again, "The meeting is adjourned."

We all get to our feet.

"Wait!" Lily cries out suddenly.

We stop and stare at her.

"What?" snaps James, "If you're going to talk about Malfoy forget it. Can't you see Rosie doesn't want to talk about him?"

"I'm not going out with Scorpius Malfoy!"

Silence greets her words. What's she saying? I don't understand.

"Is this some kind of a joke? You're pulling pranks on us, Lily?" Fred asks, chuckling slightly.

"Lily," warns James.

"I'm sorry, Rosie!" wails Lily, "I'm really, really sorry! I thought it would help you but… I'm really sorry."

"I don't understand," I murmur quietly.

"It… it was a pretence. Everything's a sham. Scorpius and I are not going out. I don't even fancy him and neither does he. I'm actually going out with his best friend, Boris Zabini. We've been together since September."

"You're what?!" shouts James.

"Boris Zabini?!" bellows Al at the same time.

"Now this is a nice twist," Fred grins.

"Interesting," says Roxanne, nodding.

"I didn't see this one coming either," Hugo inserts.

"Why is it that they didn't tell me? Those idiots!" Louis complains.

Sham. Sham. Sham.

The words are taunting me, swirling round and round in my head.

"Pretending?" I ask, glaring at Lily disbelievingly, "What exactly are you saying, Lily?"

"A-a month ago, Scorpius and I made a bet," Lily mutters hesitantly, "He ran into you and you acted all weird and he was puzzled by that. I told him you have a crush on him and he didn't believe me. So I made a bet against him. I told him that I can prove that you like him. I suggested that we should pretend that we're going out. I thought that you'll be jealous and will finally do something. I swear, Rosie, that's what I was hoping to happen. I'm actually helping you out."

"I was hurt," I whisper.

"I know! And I'm really sorry about that."

She is looking beseechingly at me. I want to rage at her and to accuse her of many things but I can't seem to find the energy to do so. I'm more disappointed than angry. I feel like I've been betrayed. I am betrayed.

I do nothing. I just stand there, staring at her in disbelief. Lily lets loose a stray tear down her cheek. She wipes it quickly. It's known that Lily hates crying because she doesn't want people to think she's vulnerable. Normally, I would feel sorry for her but right now… I feel sorrier for myself.

Fred decides to break the silence.

"So how much gold did you win?"

* * *

_what's up? it's been so long. i had a writer's block, hehe. i didn't quite know what to do next after chapter 7 so i decided to relax a bit. i immersed myself in reading shoujo mangas and anime fanfics. trouble is, i got too immersed that i forgot to write about this and i almost lost interest in finishing this..._

_anyway, thank you so much for those who reviewed. uh, the thing about Lily and Boris and Scorpius also is that... i didn't know how to break up Lily and Scorpius if they are a real couple, how i'm going to set things up in motion for Scorpius and Rose. i mean, i can't just have him dump Lily for Rose. that's too complicated for me, i think. plus, if i go down that road, it's too predictable._

_enjoy reading and don't forget to review! it's harry potter week! yay!!! _


	9. Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER: i don't own anything! i'm still looking for a job

* * *

Chapter 9

Scorpius

Rose Weasley's been avoiding me more than usual since Saturday. No, I'm not 'taking notice finally'. I'm just being observant.

She didn't show up in breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Sunday. She's not at breakfast today, either. I don't know why but I have been looking forward to see her again. Anyway, there are always the classes. She won't be able to avoid me.

I catch sight of James Potter and Fred Weasley glaring at me from the Gryffindor table. I'm tempted to smirk at them but I want to live long so I divert my attention elsewhere.

Rose Weasley's cousins are behaving as though I did an Unforgivable on her. Lily, however, was very upset last night. Boris told me that Lily confessed about everything – the bet and about her seeing Boris. Apparently, Rose Weasley's ignoring her and her brothers are taking it badly. Boris, on the other hand, is having a sense of foreboding.

And here he sits beside me, gazing glumly at his breakfast.

"I think we'd better be off now," I suggest, "before Potter and Weasley are done."

Boris gladly complies.

We walk quietly towards our first class. I steal a sideway glance at Boris. Outwardly, he looks intimidating and somewhat scary because of the scowl marring his features. But I know better. He's as nervous as hell. I shake my head in the absurdity of as to why Boris feels that way.

"Come on," I say, trying to at least appease him, "They will just threaten you and all that stuff but they won't be stupid enough to actually do something against you."

Nothing.

Not even a grunt.

I know he heard me. The scowl on his face intensified. I sigh in defeat. I really don't get the Potters/Weasleys in all the fuss they make when it concerns a female relative of theirs being involved with other people. I mean, sure, I get that they are just being protective but in my opinion, it's too much and a load of rubbish. I smirk. Of course I wouldn't understand! I have no sister and no cousins to feel protective of.

"Hey, Scorpius."

I turn around. A beautiful, sultry lady is striding towards me with a seductive smile.

"Good morning," I respond. Good morning, indeed.

"Are you busy tonight?" she asks coyly.

I glance quickly beside me. What? Where the hell is Boris? I jerk around quickly. He's at the end of the corridor already. I doubt if he's noticed that I'm not with him anymore. What a bother…

"Uh, sorry, Yvonne," I apologize to the girl gazing expectantly at me, "I have to go now. What time tonight?"

"Eight," she pipes eagerly, "Same place."

"No problem," I wink at her before following Boris.

I run. Soon enough I manage to keep up with him.

"You idiot," I reprimand, "In times like these you shouldn't be strolling around on your own."

"Don't call me an idiot, idiot," he growls.

"Whatever," I retort in annoyance.

"And what do you mean by that? You just said that threats are all they're going to come up with."

"Yeah, but that was just my opinion," I mutter, "In case I'm wrong, you better stick with me. We both know what they're capable of doing."

Boris flinches slightly. Although we've never been in the receiving end of James Potter and Fred Weasley's hexes, we were witnesses to those who have fallen victim to them. It was not pretty. Not pretty at all.

We finally reach our Muggle Studies classroom. It's still early so the room's locked until the professor shows up. I lean against the wall to wait.

I smile slowly. This is going to be the first time that Rose Weasley and I will come face to face after The Night. Anticipation is building up. I'm positive that she will blush even more furiously. That'll be a sight to behold. I glance at my watch. A few more minutes left.

"You look excited," comes a dry comment from Boris who is standing at the opposite wall, looking relaxed.

"Am I?"

He grunts as I grin hugely. He looks away and immediately becomes rigid. I follow his gaze.

Albus Potter is marching purposely towards us. No, towards Boris. I straighten up but resume my position at the opposite wall. I watch Potter approach Boris apprehensively.

"My sister is fourteen years old," snarls Potter furiously without preamble, "Fourteen! If you even dare to think inappropriately about her, act improperly around her, do something that will tarnish her reputation in any way, I swear on Albus Dumbledore's grave, you will pay dearly."

I gotta give it to him. He sure is showing some guts. Not a lot of people would challenge Boris head-on, especially not someone like Albus Potter who is shorter than him.

"You got that, Zabini?" asks Potter threateningly.

Well, Albus Potter's own interpretation of the word threateningly, at least. Like his father, he dislikes violence and he never takes on opponents he knows he is no match against. He's not that stupid. And he's definitely no match against Boris who is not only taller but more muscular than him. Boris won't be the best Beater for nothing.

I amble over to them with a sigh. Better be close to Potter to intervene before a duel ensues and his ass gets kicked. Boris is very skilled in Muggle fighting. He does this sport called boxing every summer. I fail to grasp the allure of the Muggle way of duelling.

"Y-yes, sir!" stutters Boris.

Wait. Stutter? Boris? There's no way in hell he'd do that. My jaw drops, nonetheless. And so does Potter's. Like me, he never expected Boris to react that way.

Potter recovers quickly and narrows his eyes at Boris. "Good."

He then stands over opposite us with his arms crossed, glaring at Boris.

I hear Boris sigh in relief.

"One down," I whisper to him, patting his arm, "one to go. You're doing well, mate."

I join Potter, leaning idly against the wall again. Deciding to take his attention off Boris, I ask, "Where's your cousin?"

"Which cousin?" he asks back without taking his eyes off of Boris.

That's the second question I hate to be thrown at me. The first is 'Which Weasley?'. In all my six years in Hogwarts, those questions are always the most-asked ones. Really annoying.

"Rose Weasley," I reply shortly.

Potter finally directs his attention to me. From the corner of my eyes, I see Boris visibly relaxed.

"She's not in this class," frowns Potter.

"What?"

Is he playing tricks on me? Of course I'd know if she's in my classes as well… Or do I?

"She's not taking Muggle Studies," sneers Potter, "But then again I'm not surprised you don't even know that."

"Watch it, Potter," I hiss at him, "I'm not dating your sister hence, I won't be as lenient as Boris. Provoke me and you'll suffer the consequences."

"Yeah, right," he scoffs, "I'd like to see you try. I'm not scared of you, you know."

"What are you going to do? Run off crying to big brother and your cousins?"

"I'll have you know, Malfoy," he strikes a weird pose, "I'm good at taekwondo."

"What the hell is that?" I see Boris's eyes widen a bit.

"It's a form of Muggle fighting," he says, finally dropping the really weird pose.

I snort. "Good thing I'm a wizard then. One flick of my wand and you can forget about that tak-whatsit."

"Taekwondo," he corrects, "If we're going to have a Muggle duel, you can't use wand. That's called cheating. And, I'd be useless against you if you have your wand."

"Exactly, Potter," I smirk, "Exactly."

"Git,"

"Prat."

We ignore each other for a while after that. Some of our classmates start arriving. They greet Potter and I a good morning. There are not a lot of us, just twenty all in all. So how come I never noticed that Rose Weasley's not in here?

"Tell me, Potter," I murmur, "why is it that you didn't bother to introduce Rose Weasley to me?"

"It should be obvious, Malfoy," says Potter seriously, "You're not worth introducing to her. I didn't bother to help her with her little crush on you, it's true. It's not because I can't help her but because I don't want to help her. Not with you, anyway."

The professor arrives and opens the classroom door. Potter goes inside after throwing a dirty look in Boris' direction. I don't know if I should be insulted by that but it's not like I care. With a shrug, I follow everyone inside.

The moment Boris and I take our seats at the very back, I whisper angrily at him.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me that Rose Weasley's not in this class?"

"You didn't ask," he retort softly, "Is that what you were excited about?"

"Shut up!"

Just then, Louis Weasley takes the seat on my left side. He always seats with us instead of with Potter. The four-eyed dork prefers the front seat. This is not even the best subject there is and yet he finds it so interesting.

"Hey," he greets.

"Hey," I greet back, taking out our textbook entitled Muggle Studies Huh?. Even the textbook's title is lame, "Are you going to say the 'Stay away from my cousin or you'll regret it' stuff?"

"Me? No!" he shakes his head, "But, you should tread with caution, Boris. If you hurt her, well, you already know what will happen."

"That's the same thing," I point out.

Boris gives him a stiff nod. Louis seems satisfied with that as he starts to open his textbook.

"Oh, and I'd like to congratulate you two, by the way," Louis says, chuckling in amusement, "I never saw James that flustered before. You know how he rarely ever shuts up but last night, he was in complete shock. Same thing goes for Al."

He laughs quietly.

That's what I like about Louis Weasley. He's not as fussy as his cousins. I get along with him much better than anyone from their family. I don't really know why. I suppose it's because we're both blondes. We also have the same temperament. We don't fly off the handle easily and would rather flirt with pretty girls than be as immature as James Potter and Fred Weasley.

"Uh, Scorpius?" Louis whispers hesitantly.

I glance at him curiously. He sounded nervous, which is weird.

"Yeah?" I frown.

"You dated Simone Davies, right?"

"Right," I nod, "A couple of years ago. Why?"

"So," he says softly, "is it okay with you if I ask her out?"

"You and Simone?"

"Yeah,"

I laugh. "Sure, mate! I don't mind. It was two years ago."

Simone Davies, the long-legged blonde who took my virginity. For the short time that we dated, I deluded myself into thinking that I was in love with her. We were together for two months but we were not a couple, more like friends with benefits. While she was with me, she also dated other guys. I had no problem with it because I saw other girls too. I don't really know what happened to us. One day we just stopped seeing each other.

"But," I wonder aloud, "You have a girlfriend, who I remember was still your girlfriend yesterday when I saw you at lunch. Or did you break up with her already?"

"I did," he mutters.

He looks miserable. I raise my eyebrows. "And? Are you regretting it now?"

"No," he sighs, "it's just that… I hurt her really bad. And I'm feeling guilty because next month is Vic's wedding and she was supposed to be my date. She already bought a dress."

"Well," I say in what I hope is a comforting tone, "that's not your problem anymore, is it?"

Boris nudges me. I look at him questioningly. He signals for me to quit talking.

"Speaking of the wedding," Louis whispers, "I take it, you'll be Lily's date, Boris?"

"We talked about it," Boris mutters hesitantly, "But I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be there."

"Of course you should be there!" I whisper back, "You're Lily's boyfriend."

"But all her family is gonna be there," he argues, "Her parents will be there."

"So?" snorts Louis, "They won't eat you. They'll just be… the concerned parents."

"And," I put in, "I'll be there! So there's no need to worry."

Boris looks surprised. "You are?"

"Yeah. Teddy sent me the invitation the other day. He said it'd be nice to have another relative there aside from Aunt Tonks."

"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Zabini," a voice calls out. Louis, Boris and I look up to see the professor glaring at us, "will you please refrain from chattering? Class has already started."

"Sorry," Louis and I mutter. Boris said nothing as usual. With a heavy sigh, I lounge back in my seat.

Man, this class is so boring. The professor is talking about something in front but I'm not paying attention. I never do in this class. I let out a yawn. I swear this class is going to be the death of me. But Muggle Studies sounded like a lifesaver as opposed to Divination at that time. And, to my astonishment, I received an Exceeds Expectations in Muggle Studies in O..

Boris is writing on a parchment. Maybe he's taking down notes. Good, I can copy his later. My eyes drift over the opposite side of the room. Two Ravenclaw girls are staring at me. I wink at them. They giggle in that typical girly way.

"That was easy," I snort.

"Stop that," chides Boris, "and pay attention."

"I'm bored," I whine like a spoiled child.

"Take notes then," he suggests.

I didn't bother to respond. Instead, I just stare up at the ceiling.

To think I was actually excited today.

* * *

_what's up? it's been a long time. i feel like it's been months instead of a few weeks since i last updated. i've been very laidback (lazy) these days. i'm afraid the enthusiasm's not as strong as it used to. but no worries! i'm not going to abandon this ship. i'm just taking my time._

_i was supposed to have the scorpius/rose interaction in this chapter but i got a little carried away. please review. i'm not so sure about this chapter. i feel like the whole thing's a little... messy. oh, thanks to those who reviewed! really appreciate it._


	10. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER: nothing is mine... only the laptop

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Al**

The bell rings.

I make my way out of the room, glowering all the while in Zabini's direction. I march ferociously through the corridors. I can still feel my blood boiling in my veins. Every time I think of my little sister being with that… boy toy/man whore, I can't help but have the urge to hit something or better yet, a certain someone.

I grit my teeth in extreme infuriation.

My sister's a very pretty young lady. I'm not just saying that because I'm her brother. Boys swarm around her. She's surrounded by admirers all the time. And she likes hanging out with them. James and I never complained nor intervened when it comes to Lily's personal life since the moment she hit puberty.

But this time is different.

Of all the blokes in Hogwarts, why Zabini? Even Malfoy is more acceptable and a better choice than that Zabini. What do we know about that guy? Nothing! He's a weirdo. His only friend and the only one who's not wary of his presence is Malfoy. He never goes out with Malfoy and us to pubs, clubs or any places that consist of a crowd. I once asked Malfoy about this and he said that Zabini hates going to crowded places. Aside from that, everything about Zabini is a complete mystery. Well, not really. There are the rumors, of course. They are:

1. He lost his virginity at the age of 12

2. He lost it to his father's mistress

3. The said mistress was 32 years old

4. Since then, he only dated older women

5. He never showed any interest towards a Hogwarts student except for Malfoy

6. Because of number 5, for a short while in 4th year, people thought he's gay and that he and Malfoy were enjoying a forbidden affair

7. The youngest he had a fling with was a 25 year old newly wed woman

8. Since then, he seemed to have a preference for married women

9. Not just any married women but _Muggle_ married women

Yeah, I listed them all down and showed it to Lily last night. But Lily burned it. She said that those are just rumors and even if they are true, she doesn't care because she loves him. Love?! What does she know about love? She's only fourteen! She only had one boyfriend. Their relationship lasted for 5 months, 1 week and 3 days (James and I had a bet on how long they will last). And I definitely think that having only one previous boyfriend for five months is not exactly enough experience for her.

I enter the half-empty classroom and immediately spots Rosie sitting in our usual table. I stride over to her, dumping my stuff on the desk with force. Rosie says nothing. She already knows that I'm in a very foul mood.

"Hey," she mutters, eyeing the open door anxiously.

I wonder if I should tell her about Malfoy. Oh, well…

"Malfoy asked about you in Muggle Studies," I mumble tiredly. Who knows being angry can be tiring?

"He did?" pipes Rosie frantically, "What did he say? What exactly did he say?"

Dang, I knew I should have kept my mouth shut.

"Not much," I sigh, "He just asked where you were. It seemed that he didn't know that you're not taking Muggle Studies."

"Oh," she looks crestfallen but becomes agitated again, "What did you say?"

I stare at her, frowning a little. I'm trying to recall what I said. Oh, yeah!

"I told him you're not in that class and never were,"

"After that?" Rosie eggs on for more details.

"Well… we insulted each other for a while. You know, the usual."

She sighs forlornly. "Why is it that he didn't know I'm not in that class?"

I ignore her question and watch as Louis comes in. He takes the seat on the other side of Rosie.

"What are you doing here?" she asks him. She can't see me so I smirk at Louis behind her back.

"What? I'm taking Defence Against the Dark Arts, too," he responds a little defensively.

I grin. Louis is playing dumb, alright.

"Why are you with us?" Rosie asks again.

"Why not? You're my cousins!" he says in a hurt tone, "Can't I sit with you anymore?"

He's definitely playing dumb.

"Go sit with Annemarie," snaps Rosie, "Where is she, by the way?"

Louis casts me a pleading look. I shake my head.

"You have to tell her yourself," I mumble. Rosie whips her head in my direction.

"Tell me what?" she asks curiously, looking between Louis and me.

He opens and closes his mouth. He's probably trying to find the right words. But what's there to find? The words are simple enough as it is.

"Go on," I encourage him. He gulps.

"We… uh," stammers Louis. He clears his throat, "We… no, I-I broke up with her. Yesterday."

"What?" exclaims Rosie, "Why? What happened?"

Is it just me or is Rosie been asking a lot of questions these past few minutes?

"Look, Rosie," he says dolefully, "I don't want to discuss it yet, if you don't mind. It's still very new to me. I'm very upset right now."

Liar!

He catches me looking accusingly at him. He widens his eyes in fear and shakes his head fractionally, pleading for me to keep quiet. I look at him in disgust.

"You're lying to me," remarks Rosie.

Ha! Of course, nothing escapes Rosie. I think she got that from Grandma Molly.

"Are you going to tell me or do I have to force it out of you?"

"Okay, okay!" Louis gives in, "I'm not interested in her anymore."

Rosie gasps in dismay. "Louis Weasley! How could you? That's awful."

"What's so awful about that? It's a legitimate reason for a couple to break up."

"And what about Annemarie?" she points out angrily, "Does she feel the same way or was breaking up your decision alone?"

"What would you have me do, Rosie?" Louis returns just as angrily, "Stay with her knowing I don't feel the same way anymore?"

Rosie is about to open her mouth when Louis spots his salvation by the door.

"Scorpius is coming!"

At once, Rosie becomes a bundle of nerves. She's now fidgeting like there's no tomorrow, her face is burning and she keeps darting her eyes around the room – probably searching for anything to hide herself in.

Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

* * *

**Scorpius**

Finally.

She's right there – between Louis and Albus Potter. I can't see her face, though. Is she hiding her face underneath all that big, bushy red hair of hers? No matter.

I walk towards them with my usual smirk.

"Scorpius," Boris asks in bewilderment, "where are we going?"

I ignore him and take the table behind the cousins. Boris follows. Louis gapes, Potter glares and Rose Weasley remains motionless.

"Good morning, Potter. Louis," I pause. Deliberately lowering my voice, I continue, "Miss Weasley."

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

Fifteen seconds.

Thirty seconds…

Dammit, what the hell's wrong with this girl?! She's ignoring me on purpose!

Louis is struggling to keep his laughter at bay. Potter is smirking in obvious delight. I scowl.

"Well," I say, sneering, "that's… let's see, eleven words now. Right, Miss Weasley?"

She stiffens.

"Malfoy," growls Potter in warning.

"You know, Miss Weasley," I carry on, ignoring Potter's deathly glare and Louis's seriously-starting-to-get-annoyed look, "for someone who was grumbling last Saturday night about my lack of awareness, you're good at pretending otherwise. I mean, that was – most regrettably – the first time I greeted you and then you, on the other hand, is the one ignoring me now."

"That's enough, Scorpius," Louis cautions.

"Wow!" I exclaim in mock celebratory tone, "That's fifty-eight words already, Weasley."

"What's your freaking problem, Malfoy?" Potter asks furiously, "Leave her alone!"

"What? I'm just giving her the undivided attention she's been craving for six years. Who am I to refuse such demand? And isn't she tired of stalking me since first year?"

We have been arguing loudly and some students in the room chuckle at my last statement.

Rose Weasley flinches. That seems to be the signal Potter's waiting for. He jumps to his feet and draws his wand.

"You –!"

"Are you fighting?" interrupts a soft husky voice from above us.

We glance up and saw our Defence Against the Dark Arts professor leaning casually over the banister and devouring a chocolate bar. His dark eyes assessing the view below him – that being me with my wand pointed at Potter's dorky face; Boris is in front of me, his arm holding me back; because of that, Potter's wand is directed at Boris's chest instead; and Louis has both his arms restraining his cousin.

We straighten up immediately and stow away our wands.

"No, sir," replies Louis in a cheerful voice, "We're not fighting. Everything's cool."

The professor didn't say anything at first. He just stares at us while eating his chocolate. His eyes are as unreadable as ever but I know that his genius mind sees through Louis's words. We resume our seats silently and watch as he descends the stairs, munching happily on his chocolate that he'll be eating throughout the entire period. Don't ask me why but that's just one of his many quirks.

I turn my eyes away from our eccentric professor in time to catch Rose Weasley peering at me. Our glances meet and fasten for a few seconds. This is, as far as I'm aware, the first time we look at each other.

Her eyes widen. It seems that she just realized that she's staring at me. She swivels on her seat with her face resembling a tomato.

I scowl. I don't get her. She claimed and declared in front of half the school her supposed love for me and yet she is still acting as though I have an incurable disease. I'm paying attention now, so why is it that she's not grabbing the opportunity? Why isn't she all flirty like a normal human being in love?

"That's too bad," Professor Lawliet mutters softly, crouching on top of his chair, "I thought I was about to witness history repeat itself. Potter versus Malfoy. A great duel, indeed."

I shake my head in incredulity. Only he would find the fight between me and his boss's son entertaining.

"Stand up," he orders in that same tone of voice.

The whole class scramble to their feet. A few of students are wondering why. I'm not. This professor is unpredictable.

"Because of the almost-fight, we're having an impromptu practical exam."

The class groan. Like I said, unpredictable. Professor Lawliet just stares unblinkingly at us. He takes out his wand and with a brandish; all the tables and chairs vanish into thin air.

"Pick a partner. One of you will hex the other while the other will deflect it. Do it non-verbally."

This time I join the groaning majority.

"But, sir!" a Hufflepuff complains, "You never taught us how to deflect non-verbally!"

"Yeah!" the class shouts. The students then start voicing their protests.

"It's going to be chaos!"

"I'll be slaughtered!"

"What if my beautiful honey-coloured hair turns into blue? Or purple?"

"Oh, my God! I'm going to die a virgin!"

Basically, my classmates are all being childish and hysterical. Rose Weasley's staring at me again. I turn to look at her but she instantly drops her gaze to the floor. My jaw clenches and I have lost my patience.

"Non-verbally?" I say loudly, "What a shame. Rose Weasley won't be able to hear my 'beautiful, captivating voice'."

The room falls silent.

Then my classmates start to laugh. Boris is looking fearful. Potter and Louis are death-glaring me. Rose Weasley's head is still bent but her posture emanates tension. Professor Lawliet is munching on his chocolate.

"I'm not getting the joke," he says, scratching his head.

Those who are laughing suddenly had their mouths shut as thought an invisible zipper zip them up. Only one person would do that. Sure enough, Professor Lawliet is holding his wand. He moves really fast!

"But," he continues. His voice is still as soft as ever but his eyes are harder than usual as he glares at us, "even if I find it funny, I don't think I'll be laughing like these bunches of idiots are. If you're done with this nonsense, I'd like it very much if you'll pair up now."

We immediately position ourselves around the room. Boris is my partner, of course. Potter is still glaring at me. Rose Weasley is whispering something to him. I smirk at her and she reddens profusely.

I know I'm being an ass.

"This is going to be fun," Professor Lawliet remarks seriously, biting off a big chunk of his chocolate.

* * *

_hi! i apologize for the late update. it took me almost a month just to finish this chapter. hope you all like it. i had fun writing the list, lol! i wanted to make it as outrageous as possible. the scorpius-rose moment is quite (very) short, i know, but next chapter (i think) she'll snap out of her shell and be more like herself around scorpius. it might take long, though coz i'm distracted right now. i might write an anime fanfic. i can't get this concept out of my mind._

_speaking of anime, the DADA professor is based on an anime character, lol! and so was the potions prof, lol!_

_thank you so much to those who reviewed! i'm so glad you like my story. if there are grammatical mistakes and stuff, sorry! i wasn't able to edit this._


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER:** heck, even the wifi connection's not mine. so big thanks to our neighbor! if it wasn't for him, i wouldn't be able to upload this tonight...

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**Chapter 11**

**Rose**

"I can't believe it," I say disconcertedly, "Scorpius Malfoy's quoting the words I said last Saturday?"

"Yes, that's right," Louis replies, "And Rosie, that's like the fifth time you've asked us that question."

"My stomach hurts," Al complains in a tortured tone.

"My legs are shaky," I share.

"I feel kinda woozy," Louis puts in.

We just got out of the war zone called the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. It was… a battlefield. The whole 'impromptu practical exam' was… traumatizing.

_Most of the class were not adept with using non-verbal spells yet so some of us cheated. We muttered the incantations very quietly under our breaths but of course, our crazy professor noticed this that he took it upon himself to magically keep our mouths shut._

_And the result was… chaos, indeed._

_A silent war ensued. Spells were bouncing off in all the wrong directions. We were supposed to hex our chosen partner but since we were brandishing our wands frustratingly and desperately, our hexes hit random people instead._

_Poor Al was hit by a Tickling Charm. He was rolling on the floor laughing. Silently._

_Louis, on the other hand, was doing a wild dance around the room._

_And I was hit by Jelly Legs Jinx. I crawled towards the corner of the room and cowered against the wall with my arms covering my head. I just saw Manda Hopskink ran past me. She looked petrified and her mouth was open in a silent scream. Well, her hair certainly did not turn into blue or purple. It turned into snakes._

_Amidst the pandemonium I saw Scorpius Malfoy sitting on the floor at the opposite corner of the room. He looked unharmed and was watching the dramatic turn of events with an adorably bored expression. I realized that he had cast a Shield Charm around him so that he was protected from the bouncing spells. I did the same to myself, Al and Louis. Then waited for the bell to ring._

_The whole room was eerily silent save for a few grunts, groans, and Professor Lawliet's faithful munching._

_He was just there, crouched on the chair and watched impassively as his students made a fool of themselves. And, to my surprise – and the others who joined me cower by the wall, he stood up abruptly and fixed everyone up to our immense relief. He didn't remove the Silencing Charm, though. He did it a few seconds before the bell rung and when he was safe in the confines of his office for when the moment we regained our voices, we shouted insults and complaints._

_I'm quite sure we would have landed detention if he heard._

"_DAMN YOU, YOU DESSERT FREAK!"_

"_I HOPE YOU BECOME DIABETIC!"_

"_WHAT'S DIABETIC?!"_

"_MY HAIR!!!!"_

"_I WISH THAT YOU SUFFER FROM INDIGESTION!!!"_

"_YEAH! AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS WE'LL BE THE ONES EATING CHOCOLATES IN FRONT OF YOU!!!"_

"That guy's a nutter," Louis grumbles angrily as we enter the Great Hall for lunch, "Why did Uncle Harry pick that mental for the job?"

"He's a genius," Al remarks.

"I can't believe it. He's really quoting all that I've said last Saturday?" I ask again in mortification, ducking behind my hair as heads turn my way.

I'm stunned. This is just horrible. I never thought that something like this will happen. Why would Malfoy embarrass me in front of our classmates and professor (even if Professor Lawliet doesn't care)? Is he angry at me for the things I said that night? Even so, I don't think I deserve to be treated this way.

Al gives a heavy sigh. "You've asked that for the sixth time already. Yeah, he's quoting what you shouted. Some of them, at least."

"Did I really say those?" I blush. I'm feeling nauseous all of a sudden.

"Yeah, you did," answer Al and Louis.

I peek at the Slytherin table. He is already eating with Boris at his side as per usual but it seems that they are having a heated discussion. Scorpius catches me peeking at him. My face heats up and I instantly divert my eyes away from his alluringly annoyed look.

I sigh. I wonder what's wrong with me. Despite the fact that Scorpius Malfoy humiliated me earlier, the emotion I feel for him did not abate for a second. Merlin, I really am pathetic.

"Hey, you guys!" Hugo cries out as we join him and the rest of our family at the table. Lily is not there with them. She's sitting with her friends. I guess she doesn't want to deal with family right now. Or maybe she's avoiding me.

"You lot look like you just got back from Hagrid's get-together with his favourite pets," states Roxanne exuberantly.

Al, Louis and I collapse beside her.

"Lawliet," says Al as an explanation, heaping large amounts of food on his plate, "All those silent laughing was very draining. I'm so hungry."

"Lawliet?" Roxanne asks dreamily, "That guy is hot."

Fred, Al, Louis, Hugo and James choke simultaneously.

"Are you alright, Roxanne?" Hugo asks in concern.

"Did a bludger hit your head during practice?" James frowns worriedly.

Roxanne rolls her eyes. I throw a sympathetic smile at her. Really, these guys are too much sometimes.

"He is!" she insists passionately, "Did you know that at the age of eleven he was already able to conjure a full-fledged Patronus? He received 13 O. and 8 N.E.W.T.s. He was a prefect and then Head Boy. He finished his Auror training in just two years because of his astounding intelligence and he passed all character and aptitude tests with flying colors."

We are all staring at Roxanne in bewilderment.

"Wow," I mutter admiringly. That mental case is really a genius? I can't believe he's _that_ genius.

"Yeah," Roxanne replies smugly, "Too bad he was only 2 years old during the war. He could've been a great help. He's really, really good in Defence. Even Uncle Harry is impressed."

"That's because," Fred reasons, "Uncle Harry never saw anyone who eats nothing but sweets."

As one, we turn to look at the staff table. Sure enough, Professor Lawliet is crouched on the chair eating strawberry pie and pouring massive amount of chocolate syrup on it.

Roxanne sighs mournfully. "If only his personality's just as sweet…"

Fred throws a carrot stick at her.

**xXx**

Lunch passed by without further incident, except Fred and Roxanne's mini food fight. We just ignored them. Getting involved in those two's fights is not advisable. The mediator will surely be the one who will end up hexed.

"Did you guys notice something strange about Fred and James?" I ask suddenly as I remember the way they were so uptight at lunch.

"Huh?" Louis frowns, "I didn't notice anything. Honestly Rosie, you're probably imagining things."

"Like when I imagined that you were being honest with me?" I retort in irritation, "Don't think you fooled me, Louis Weasley. I know you. You broke up with Annemarie because you found someone else, right?"

His eyes widen in horror. I glimpse Al – who's been unusually quiet for some reason – throws Louis an I-told-you-so look.

"Who is it?" I demand urgently.

All of a sudden, I have this inexplicable inclination to lash out on someone. Is everything that I went through these past weeks finally took its toll on me? Is it not enough that I shout myself hoarse at the Astronomy Tower everyday? Do I have to hurt the people around me to make myself feel better? I already hurt Al when he stuck with me during my most depressing time. And now… why do I have to take it all out on Louis?

I shake my head in confusion.

"Just drop it, Rosie," Al suggests, "It's not your problem."

I open my mouth to object but close it again. I'm acting like my male cousins, it seems. I sigh.

"You're right," I concede. Louis grins hugely, "You're right as always, Al. But you must wait until you pursue your next target, Louis."

"T-target?" Louis stutters, "She's not my next target!"

"You're a playboy," I point out dryly, "You have targets. Anyway, I request that you wait for maybe a couple of months before you start dating whoever that girl is. For Annemarie's sake, at least."

Louis turns his head away. "I know that already."

"That's good," I mutter approvingly.

The three of us step inside the Potions class and straight to our table. Louis is still tailing after Al and I. He hasn't hanged out with us for a long time now. It's kind of a little weird. I'm so used to having only Al by my side. Speaking of Al, he's really being quiet since lunch.

"Al, are you alright?" I enquire worriedly, "You've been awfully quiet. Is there something wrong?"

I look questioningly at Louis but he only shrugs at me. He's equally puzzled by Al's strangeness today. Al appears to be deep in thought. Maybe he didn't hear me. I'm about to repeat my question when he gives his respond in a grave manner.

"There is something wrong with Fred and James,"

"What do you mean?" Louis asks in bafflement, taking a seat at the table behind Al and me.

"I grew up with James," Al explains seriously, "I know how he acts when he did something. And I positively think that he's guilty about whatever it was that he or he and Fred did."

Yes, that's the same impression I got from those two earlier. "They really did seem a little edgy."

"Maybe they pranked some poor soul again," Louis remarks offhandedly.

"Zabini, perhaps?" Al bursts out seriously.

I gasp. "No way! They can't be… they wouldn't…"

Louis is as taken aback as I am.

"I saw Zabini walk out of the Great Hall. Alone," Al murmur sombrely, "After twenty minutes, Malfoy followed looking worried. I caught Fred and James exchanging a knowing look."

We ponder over that information in silence. Fred and James wouldn't be stupid, right? I mean, if something did happen to Zabini, surely Al and James are the primary suspicious individuals. They do have the motivation. Before I can voice out my concerns, Scorpius Malfoy enters the classroom. Alone. He seems a little shaken. Oh, no. that can't be good.

He spots Louis and makes a beeline for him.

My heart flutters wildly. Come on, Heart! This is not the time to feel self-conscious. Get a grip!

"Hey, Scorpius," Louis greets in welcome, "Are you lost or what? Your table's over there."

I hear a bag being dropped on the tabletop behind us. I so want to turn and look at him but… no. I can't do it. So much for being a Gryffindor.

"Mind if I share?" Malfoy drawls, "My seatmate's at the Hospital Wing."

I drop my book on the floor. Al retrieves it for me.

"What does he mean?" I whisper at Al. He shrugs unconcernedly but he's a little pale.

"What happened?" Louis asks anxiously.

"Schiffer is going to be a little late," Malfoy responds, "He's still fixing up Boris."

"It's that bad?" Louis mumbles quietly, "What happened?"

"I never saw anything so horrible," Malfoy's strained voice states, "I don't know what would have happened if I didn't arrive in time. If I was too late!"

I gaze fearfully at Al. What did Fred and James do? The answering look in Al's green orbs echoed my own confusion. There is no doubt in our minds that we know who was or were behind the attack on Boris Zabini.

Was it an Unforgivable? No, that's illegal. Uncle Harry will certainly apprehend the perpetrators, even if it's his own son and nephew. Or maybe it was the infamous Sectumsempra? But, wait! Fred and James were already seated at the table when we arrived at the Great Hall and they never left. In fact, we were the ones who left the table first. So there was no way they were there when the attack happened. But Malfoy never said that Zabini was attacked.

"Why don't you just freaking tell us what happened?!" Al yells in frustration.

Malfoy pauses for a moment as though trying to find the right words to describe what he witnessed with his own two eyes.

"We were eating lunch," he starts solemnly, "He said he had to go to the bathroom. I told him I'll go but he declined. He said I was being paranoid. We argued for a bit. In the end he won so I let him go alone. After twenty minutes I grew worried. There was still no sign of him. I decided to follow."

He stops talking suddenly. I carefully turn my head to take a peek at him. He's paler than Al is and his eyes are haunted by some unknown terror. He gulps down before he continues.

"When I got there, some boys were standing outside. They all looked terrified with something. I ignored them and reached for the knob but suddenly a seventh year grabbed me. He said I shouldn't go in, it was dangerous."

Al gasps and his eyes widen in terror. Louis leans in closer to Malfoy, nodding his head.

I turn around on my seat to face Malfoy, unmindful of my self-consciousness. This story is kind of like the adventures our parents went through when they were students here at Hogwarts many years ago. This is unbelievable. Is this the chance that we – children of the war heroes – have all been waiting for? The chance to finally follow the footsteps of our parents and maybe perhaps even surpass them? I have to go borrow the Marauders Map from James.

"I disregarded his warning and went inside. I called out for Boris several times before I heard a strangled sound at the last cubicle. And so I walked over there. I called Boris again and this time he answered quietly. I was bewildered for awhile. Obviously, there was no one else there besides him. I told Boris to come out. He said he can't so naturally I asked him if he was okay. There was no answer. So I decided to open the door. It was… it was…"

"It was what?" Al whispers.

"It-it was…" Malfoy stutters, the haunting look on his face intensifies. "It was Polyjuice Potion."

I drop my books again from the desk to the floor with a loud clatter as Al jumps to his feet and yells, "WHAT?!?"

"Is this a joke?" Louis asks in an offended tone.

I dive down to pick my books up. What in the name of Merlin was that all about? Polyjuice Potion? What damage can a Polyjuice Potion inflict on a 6-footer bloke?

"Let me finish!" Malfoy growls in annoyance. "Boris didn't turn into a human."

"What, don't tell me he turned into a troll," Louis says sarcastically. Al turns even paler. We're both thinking the same thing. Knowing James, anything's possible.

"Turning into a troll would have been better," Malfoy mumbles dejectedly.

"So what was it?" I ask.

Wait, I did?

Malfoy raises his eyebrows in surprise. Louis and Al look knowingly at me. My face turns hotter as I try my best not to hide under the table, to ignore my cousins' smirks, and to look at Malfoy straight in the eyes. Although, the need to transport oxygen to my body is necessary so I shift my gaze at a spot above his head. Well, at least I managed to look at him for five seconds.

Louis clears his throat in an obvious attempt to divert Malfoy's attention from me. "You were saying?"

"The potion's not supposed to be used for animal transformation, right?"

Louis, Al and I slowly nod our head simultaneously in understanding.

"What animal?" Louis asks the most vital question. I know for a fact that lions are James' favourite animal.

"I wish it was an animal," Malfoy said mournfully.

The three of us tense up some more. This is not looking good.

"It was a hippogriff," Malfoy finally confides.

I gasp in horror. "A hippogriff?!"

"W-what? Is that even probable?" Louis sputters.

Al opens his mouth to say something but closes it at once as though unsure of what he should say.

"From what I saw," Malfoy responds seriously, "Yes, it was."

"I'm sorry," I mumble softly, hoping to somehow lessen the burden Malfoy is carrying.

"Why? Because you know who did it?" he growls scathingly.

Ouch. Those words cut through me like a knife. It's as if he hates me. Really hates me. Just as I thought that I am being confident enough around him, this has to happen.

"There, there," Louis pacifies, "Scorpius, she's just being nice. And of course, we're no idiots. We know who you suspects to be behind this however, we could all be wrong. There must have been a mistake."

I agree with Louis. We think Fred and James did it but we know that they are not cruel. Something must have gone wrong.

"You mean it wasn't supposed to be a hippogriff?" Malfoy says scornfully, "Then what was Boris supposed to turn into? Blast-Ended Skrewt?"

An intense silence follows his statement. Until Al decides to break it, that is.

"I'm confused," he grumbles in frustration, "So what does he look like? Is he a half-man, half-eagle or half-man, half-horse? Or maybe he's half-man, half-eagle and half-horse?"

I whack him in the head.

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_wow, it's been over a month, huh? anyway, i would like to congratulate myself. this is the longest story i have ever written. so i'm determined to finish this even if it takes me a year. yeah, that's how lazy i am._

_also, i dedicate this to my fellow Filipinos who were affected by the typhoon a week ago. i hope this brings a smile to your faces._

_thanks to those who reviewed last chapter. you guys are the best. enjoy this new chapter because there won't be a new one anytime soon, lol. i apologize for the mistakes. see you next month! ^.^_


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER:** huh? me? no, i don't own this!

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**Chapter 12**

**Scorpius**

The door bursts open.

I jump to my feet as Professor Schiffer enters the classroom. He looks the same as always – emotionless. I have no idea why his face never changes its expression. It's always blank. And this is the first time it annoys me. Didn't it matter that a student of his was experimented upon by a couple of pranksters who had nothing else better to do and who are holding a grudge against him because he happens to be in love with one of the said prankster's little sister?

"Sir – ," I call out to him.

"Later, Mr. Malfoy," Schiffer said, not even sparing a cold glance to accompany the equally cold tone of his voice. "After class."

Great. Like I can concentrate in class while my best friend is in the Hospital Wing fighting for his humanity. Maybe I should just walk out of the class. I feel a restraining hand grip my arm tightly.

"Don't," Louis warns, "He'll put you in detention. You know how he hates anyone disrupting his class. Plus, I need your help with this potion."

Damn his veela blood. There's really no doubt why girls throw themselves at him. One pleading look from those eyes… I shake my head to clear it from disturbing thoughts. Oh, and I shudder of course.

"You can just ask your cousins," I mumble in an undertone, slumping back on the chair.

Speaking of which, Albus Potter is staring at me curiously and questioningly.

"Well?" he whispers, "What does he look like?"

The unwanted and scary image comes rushing in my head. It keeps on flashing like that gigantic poster on the window of the Weasleys' joke shop. Does Boris still have those feathers covering his body? What if Schiffer was unable to get rid of them? Are they going to pluck them off one by one? What about the horrendous tail and talons? Never mind the yellow eyes. I think it's awesome.

Albus Potter gasps excitedly. "The wings! What about the wings? Does he have wings? Do you think he could fly?"

I glance at the front. Schiffer is taking out some parchments from his bag.

"Stop bothering me, Potter," I murmur loudly. Sure enough, the professor's piercing glare focuses on us.

"Something the matter?" he asks calmly.

Potter glowered at me but I ignore him. "Nothing, Sir. Potter was just asking some questions I do not deem worthy of answering."

Schiffer stares at us for a while. "Come here, Potter."

He growls at me before walking off.

"You didn't have to do that," Louis grumbles disapprovingly.

I just give him a snort. What can I say; we all do shitty things when we're pissed. And too bad for Albus Potter, he's the available one to vent on.

I catch Rose Weasley peeking at me. I smirk at her and she becomes red immediately but to my surprise, she didn't fret like she usually did. Instead, she gives me a sympathetic smile. As though she actually understands the reason behind my actions. My smirk disappears to be replaced by a scowl. I convey as much anger as I can through my eyes. She's only sorry because she knows her cousins were the ones responsible for what happened to Boris.

I guess she got the message because her smile disappears and she stiffens as she swivels to face the front again.

"Hand these homeworks to your classmates," Schiffer instructs Potter, indicating the pile of parchments on the desk. "You will brew antidotes today. I wrote the poison on your papers. Work as soon as you got it. So you better hurry up, Potter."

Potter scoops them up and when he has his back on Schiffer, he rolls his eyes. Louis chuckles quietly. I already settled my scores on Potter therefore I permitted myself to smile in amusement. Potter knows that all is cool between us again when he comes over to me and rolls his eyes in exasperation. He shoves the paper in my face, though.

Laughing, I look at my homework.

_Outstanding_.

No surprises there.

**xXx**

**Al**

Rosie loves surprises. Even though she knows it's a surprise, she's always excited to be at the receiving end of that surprise. I remember her 8th birthday when we caught her parents doing the preparations for the supposed surprise birthday party for her. It was midnight. We snuck downstairs to find out what the noises were. We knew it was Rosie's parents arguing – they do that all the time – but we heard different voices that night so we thought we might as well investigate. Turned out that the whole Weasley family was there and they were preparing to surprise Rosie when she wakes up in the morning. I had to practically drag Rosie away from the banisters. When morning came, she was so overwhelmed with excitement. If I didn't know that Rosie was a terrible actress I would have thought back then that she was pretending to be excited. But, no. That's just how Rosie is. She loves surprises. Expected or not expected.

However, I highly doubt if this particular surprise will be greeted agreeably. Maybe I should just run away now before Rosie sees this. I am quite sure something will definitely go wrong. Terribly wrong. As wrong as Zabini turning into a hippogriff. As wrong as James and Fred when they did that.

"Al?"

I look up at Louis. He's staring curiously at me. Beside him, Malfoy gives me a raised eyebrow. They're probably wondering what I'm doing, skulking at the very back of the dungeon. The dreaded paper is still in my shaking hands.

What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?

"Give that to Miss Weasley now, Potter," calls Professor Schiffer out.

Rosie turns in my direction. I gulp. She looks confounded. After all, she's the only one left with no antidote to work on. I glance once more at the paper I'm holding then back at Rosie. Bracing myself, I approach our desk with apprehension.

I should have written to my parents this morning, tell them I'm doing great in my life. I may not have accomplished as much as James but I'm happy and content. I wish I could have thanked them for being the best parents anyone could hope for. I wish I could have said I love them. For the last time.

Mum, Dad, if you somehow had the ability to read minds thousands of miles away, I just want you to know that I love you very much. I am now giving Rosie the paper that will end your son's sunny days.

Without looking at her, I sit down stiffly. Here it goes…

A shocked silence and then…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I cringe.

A million things happen after that – cauldrons plummet down the floor, potions are spilling everywhere. I think I saw some of my classmates draw out their wands as if expecting an attack.

"What the – !" Louis exclaims in shock, his cauldron suddenly got feet and is running away from him. "Rosie?"

I steal a glance at her. She's shaking. That's understandable.

"What's the meaning of this, Al?" Rosie asks me hysterically, flinging the paper in front of my face. "Is this some kind of joke? Are you playing tricks on me? Is this a revenge for what I put you through?"

Ok, so now she's blaming me? That's not understandable. I open and close my mouth. What am I supposed to say?

"Calm down, Miss Weasley," says the ever-so calm Professor Schiffer.

Rosie's head snap in his direction. Her eyes are actually blazing I can't help but be scared. Oh, man. She's really furious.

"Calm… down?" she asks sarcastically. "How am I supposed to calm down, sir?"

She uttered the word 'sir' with so much venom. Is it possible for Rosie to be even more hysterical than she already is?

"I refuse to accept this!" she announces to the whole watching and stunned class, brandishing that paper wrathfully. "This is not mine! This can't be mine! I did not do this! I did not write this! IT'S NOT MINE!!!"

Yes, it's possible.

"Miss Weasley," starts Professor Schiffer evenly. "I am aware that you are not the only Weasley in this school. However, I am quite positive that you are the only Rose Weasley in Hogwarts and in your family. Hence, there is no doubt that that piece of parchment indeed belongs to you."

"NO!!!" yells Rosie, "This can't be! I CAN'T HAVE A T!!!"

The whole class draw a collective gasp. Shocker, right? Rose Weasley – straight O student, number one in the school, daughter of the brightest witch of her generation Hermione Weasley – got a T on her Potions homework. No one in the family was able to achieve that feat since my dad. Well, I was close to having one back in first year. I got a D. I was upset so I wrote to Dad about it. He told me about that time when my namesake gave him a T. That cheered me up. It motivated me as well. Getting a T is embarrassing that I always make sure to study real hard in all my subjects. I can't even begin to imagine how embarrassing and disappointing it must be for Rosie.

"I refuse to accept this," announces Rose, trembling with outrage.

It's amazing how that paper is still in one piece, what with all the clutching I did earlier and now Rosie's rough treatment. I'm surprised she hasn't ripped it to pieces yet.

"Al," Louis whispers from behind me, "Seriously? She got a T?"

I nod sombrely. He stares at me in disbelief. And so does Malfoy.

"I refuse to accept this," Rosie repeats persistently. I turn to look at her but she's not beside me anymore. She's already in front of the professor's desk. How did she get there?

Professor Schiffer raises his blank eyes to hers and states, "Whether you accept it or not will change nothing, Miss Weasley. This homework was given to you, you answered it, and the answers were appalling not to mention obviously copied from other student's work. That is why you earned a T."

"But if I copied from Al's work then I should have the same mark!" Rosie argues. Great, it's so obvious Rosie's not thinking anymore. Louis nudges my back.

"What did you get?"

"Acceptable,"

"How come – ?"

"No idea," I shrug. And I don't really have any idea what happened.

"Your answer on question number one," Professor Schiffer replies steadily, "is in question number ten. As a matter of fact, your whole homework is like a maze of pure, utter nonsense. Everything is in the wrong place."

Rosie was that messed up in the mind a week ago?

"I… I wasn't my usual self at that time," Rosie mutters in defence, "Please, sir! Let me do it again!"

"No," he proclaims, getting on his feet. "What happened already happened. Deal with it. Go back to your seat, Miss Weasley. You are wasting this class's time."

And because he's always bored while waiting for us to be done with our potions (he told us before), he writes next week's homework on the blackboard the Muggle-way.

"Please, sir," Rosie insists stubbornly, "I can't have a mark like this. I just can't. Don't you know how insulting this is?"

My eyes are bulging out of their sockets now. Rosie, disobeying a professor? This day is really full of surprises.

"If you are still standing in front of my desk after I'm done, it will be 150 points from Gryffindor." Schiffer threatens.

I jump to my feet immediately. Facing Rosie's anger is much preferable to losing 150 points. Sure, we can get that back but we are aiming to win the House Cup in landslide victory. We lost last year's to Slytherin. Stupid Malfoy.

I grip Rosie's hand tightly. "Come on. Let's go sit down."

She's resisting, of course. I catch a glimpse of her face and feel really sorry for her. She looks lost. I loosen my grip on her hand to hold it gently this time.

"Rosie," I whisper consolingly, "maybe now is not the appropriate time to talk to him. Maybe we can do that after class, huh? Come on; let's go back to our table. We're supposed to do this potion and look, Malfoy's already ahead of everyone else. If we don't hurry we might get a… well, you know."

But Rosie is not listening. At the mention of Malfoy, her head snapped up. She's glaring at Malfoy. Glaring at Malfoy? She never glares at Malfoy. But she is. There's a look of pure hatred in her eyes that it's not surprising that Malfoy recoils from the impact of the Basilisk-like glare directed at him.

Rosie finally moves from her spot and drags me along, all the while not taking her eyes off of Malfoy. He looks so bewildered I can't help but smirk at him. If I'm guessing it right – and I usually am – Rosie is blaming her epic fail to none other than Scorpius Malfoy himself.

This is gonna be interesting.

* * *

_hello! wow, it's been a looong time! first off, i want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to those who reviewed, read, and enjoyed this story._

_and i also would like to apologize for being a slow updater. you see, not only am i super lazy but i'm also very moody. when i'm not in the mood to write, i really can't write. not even a decent sentence. i'm sure you'll probably notice in this chapter because i felt like i struggled writing this one. i can't seem to find the right words and stuff. and i don't like forcing myself to write because then i can only come up with crappy ideas. so again, i apologize._

_anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. not sure about the next one. i'm still thinking about it... ^.^_


	13. Chapter 13

DISCLAIMER: yes... harry potter's not mine.

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**Chapter 13**

**Scorpius**

"R-Rosie?" Potter asks tentatively, "What am I supposed to do with this?"

No Answer.

Rose Weasley has been quiet for the past hour. Well, since she started working on her antidote she's been so engrossed in what she is doing. I guess that's what happens when you get an abysmal mark such as Troll. I can't believe it. Never in a million years. Of course I expected – hoped, more like it – that Rose Weasley would get a low mark but not a T. Getting a mark like that is the worst that could happen to anyone.

I wonder what happened to her, though. How could she copy homework from Albus Potter and then get a T? I know Potter's way beneath my level when it comes to Potions but he's quite decent so what went wrong? It doesn't make any sense. But then again, it's not really my business.

"Al," Louis cautions softly, "I think it's not safe to talk to her yet. Just leave her alone for now."

"I don't know what I should do next!" Potter whines like a baby.

I snort in disgust. "You're so pathetic, Potter."

To my surprise, he smirks at me.

"Watch it, Malfoy," he says snidely, "You don't really want to annoy Rosie anymore than you already did."

I glance at the ferociously working girl beside him and can't help but flinch when she shot daggers at me once again. She narrows her eyes dangerously at me before resuming her work. What is wrong with her? All of a sudden she treats me as though I'm the bane of her existence.

"What's wrong with her?" I ask Louis quietly.

"Well," Louis whispers back, "You know she got drunk, right?"

I nod hesitantly. It's about That Night again. Everywhere I go today people are always discussing that event, it's getting quite old already.

"You know what it was all about, right?"

"Right," I answer. "Your point?"

"Rosie got a T because of you."

I laugh loudly. Which is a big mistake because Schiffer suddenly decides that time was up.

"Time's up," he declares as he waves his wand. All of our ingredients disappear and a vial replaced them on our tables.

"That was real slick, Malfoy," Potter comments in contempt. "I was not halfway done yet!"

I ignore Potter's whining to finish up with my antidote. After sealing my potion, I sneak a glance at Rose Weasley. She is making her way towards Schiffer already. I turn to Louis.

"And how is that my fault?"

"You broke her heart," he shrugs, "Simple as that."

"I fail to grasp the logic in there. Care to elaborate?"

"Okay, listen," Potter interjects, "Because of that ploy you and Lily pulled, Rosie became an emotional wreck. She wasn't her normal self. I definitely think she's blaming you."

"Lovely," I say dryly, "Like I even asked her to like me that much."

Before Potter can retort something obnoxious no doubt, Louis ushers us in front to submit our vial to Schiffer.

"Ah blimey, it can't be helped," he exclaims cheerfully, "It's happened now. No use trying to argue about who's to blame or not. One advice though, Scorpius."

Louis suddenly becomes serious. "Stay away from Rosie and don't rile her up. She's quite intimidating when mad."

"He's being nice," Potter mutters darkly, "Rosie is scary when she's mad."

I can't help but think that Louis and Potter are exaggerating. That small girl, scary? Why, does she have some sort of a secret ability? A basilisk's stare, maybe? Anyhow, I'm not really worried. Right now I worry more about Boris.

The three of us place the vial on the professor's desk and when the rest of the class are out, I stand in front of Schiffer. Beside the stony Rose Weasley. She throws me another sideways glare.

"Er, Rosie?" Potter calls out from the doorway, "Aren't you coming?"

"You go ahead. I have something to discuss with Professor Schiffer first."

"Sure,"

"See you later," Louis says and the two of them take their leave.

Now, it's just the three of us left. Weasley is standing tensely, I'm all good, and Schiffer is gazing unblinkingly up at us.

"What can I do for you two?"

Me and Weasley open our mouth at the same time, "About my – ", "How is – ".

She glares at me and this time I return the favour. I glare back.

"I was here first," she argues, "And the matter I want to discuss with Professor Schiffer is of utmost importance."

"And so is mine," I argue back, "My best friend is in the hospital because of a cruel joke played on him by your cousins. That's definitely more relevant than your Troll."

She gasps angrily. "Please don't make any unfounded accusations. Like I said earlier, I'm sorry about Zabini. But until there's proof against my cousins, don't accuse them of performing illegal Transfiguration. Furthermore, there is absolutely no relevance to Zabini's predicament."

"Oh? And why is that?" I ask sardonically. "Please enlighten me."

Her lips thinned and her eyes tightened with disdain. "Zabini is a wizard. Accidents like that happen all the time in different magical communities. And yes, I do believe it was nothing more than just an accident. But that is not the point I want to make at this moment. What I would like point out is that Zabini's problem is not as important as mine. You see, Zabini might become a laughing-stock but after a few weeks, people would dismiss it as a mere prank pulled on him and everything would be okay. He'll be fine. And then there was me – straight O student, a Prefect, number one in the whole school – who somehow earned herself a T on a homework she copied from another student. That T will not be dismissed after a few weeks. People will not just brush it off as a mere prank. That T will follow me for the rest of my life! After Hogwarts, that T will still be there as my own personal Dementor! My future will be in jeopardy because of that T! Employers won't ask Zabini how he turned into a hippogriff! Because that's perfectly normal! Employers ask questions like 'How come you have a T on your Potions homework?', 'How come your grades dropped?', and 'Why did you copy your homework?'. That… is why my Troll is more important than your hippogriff!"

I would have given her a round of applause if I'm not so stunned right now. She's breathing heavily but still maintaining her scorned composure. I clear my throat. The silence is getting awkward. I glance at Schiffer. I swear he lifted an eyebrow. Normally it doesn't move. I've always thought those eyebrows are incapable of moving.

"Fine," I concede. Weasley girl might start another monologue if I pursue my argument. "I'll wait outside."

I've barely closed the door when Weasley starts pleading her case. Whoever said that Rose Weasley can't talk to save her life must be stupid. Oh, wait. That was me.

Leaning against the wall, I can't help but be amused with Rose Weasley. First she was this little shy, timid creature then the next moment she becomes a spitfire. Her cousins were definitely not exaggerating when they said she's scary. Not that I'm scared, of course. I'm… amused. Nothing more.

* * *

**4-01-10**

_Hi! Before you throw those tomatoes at me… I have a reason for taking so long to update. I'm graduating in college! Yay! Plus, I had a lot in mind besides focusing on my studies these past months. So, yeah. That's basically it._

_I know that this chapter's a little short. I kind of wanted to hurry this one up 'cause I feel like the story's getting slower. Or was it just me?_

_Anyway, I hope you liked it. Huge thanks to all of those who reviewed. I'm really glad to know there are people who took some time to express their opinions/reactions. Thank you so much! Happy Easter, you guys!_

_HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY!!!_


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